SWIMMING INTO OLYMPISM AND SAVING LIVES Stacy L. Schaetz Master dissertation submitted to the professional body for the partial fulfillment of obligations for the awarding of a post-graduate title in the Post-graduate Programme, "Organization and Management of Olympic Events" of the University of the Peloponnese, in the branch of Olympic Education. Sparta 2016 Approved by the Professor body: 1st Supervisor: Elia Chatzigianni Prof. UNIVERSITY OF PELOPONNESE, GREECE 2nd Supervisor: Kostas Georgiadis Prof. UNIVERSITY OF PELOPONNESE, GREECE 3rd Supervisor: Ourania Vrondou, Prof. UNIVERSITY. OF PELOPONNESE, GREECE Copyright © Stacy Lorraine Schaetz, 2016. All rights reserved. Swimming into Olympism and Saving Lives CONTENTS CONTENTS …………………………………………………………………………..i SUMMARY…….……………………………………………………………..............iii ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………………………..iv INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………...…..1 CHAPTER I -SWIMMING: AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE……………………7 Gender Equality……………………………………………………...……………….10 Swimming Pools………………………………………………………………………12 CHAPTER II-DROWNING: A SILENT KILLER……………………………….......15 Drowning Fears…………………………………………………………………….....23 The Law of Buoyancy…………………………………………………………………27 CHAPTER III-SWIMMING: DIVERSITY IN AQUATICS …………….…………29 The Color of Swimming……………………………………..………………………..29 Paralympic Swimming ……………………………………………………..………...34 CHAPTER IV-SWIMMING: EDUCATION…………………………….……….....36 Privatized Swim Education ………………………………………………………......39 Public School Education ……………………………………………………………..41 Every Child a Swimmer ………………………………………………………………44 CHAPTER V- SWIMMING: FOR A HEALTY LIFETIME… ……………………..47 i Swimming into Olympism and Saving Lives Swimming for Childhood Development……………………………………………….47 Swimming Optimizes Learning…………………………………………………….…49 Prescribed Swimming…………………………………………………………..…….50 CHAPTER VI-SWIMMING: BROADENING AQAUTIC PURSUITS ……………53 Swimming for Peace………………………………………………………………….54 Swimming for the Environment…………………………………………………..…..61 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………67 REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………….73 ii Swimming into Olympism and Saving Lives SUMMARY Stacy L. Schaetz SWIMMING INTO OLYMPISM AND SAVING LIVES Swimming is more than a sport. It is a lifeline both in and out of the water. Yet more children die each year as a result of drowning. Swimming, needs to diversify its efforts to save more lives and create positive change both physically and metaphorically for the all of humankind. As the drowning epidemic continues to claim more lives each day, it is evident that there is a global need to stop the drowning epidemic. The current lack of diversity and evident racial disparities are apparent in the waters of American competitive swimming and are quite alarming. To address the future of swimming’s legacy, we glimpse at the sports past to show the power of social change can transcend through sport. A global campaign to save lives through water safety programs and learn to swim educational programs has been discussed but not fully implemented among nations. It is known that learning to swim must be accessible to every man, woman, and child, but the sport is lagging behind. Notably, the sport of swimming has shown to have had influence on gender equality in its formative years and now the sport is shedding light on the racial and socio-economic disparities that are now present in the waters. Inclusion and diversity within the sport of swimming may broaden our aquatic horizons, as individuals, global citizens, including benefiting the overall health of the individual and that of the planet. Water is life just as swimming life, as it is the one sport that can save lives. Keywords: Swimming education, Equality, Diversity, Safety Supervisor: Elia Chatzigianni Professor of Olympic Movement and International relations iii Swimming into Olympism and Saving Lives ABSTRACT Swimming has long been deeply rooted in the history of human nature and its culture is influenced by societal norms at large as well as influencing and challenging these conceptions. The state of the world can often be mirrored in the waters we swim reflecting societal norms and conventions within any particular culture at any given time in history. Swimming can be utilized for multiple purposes like exercise, health, competition, recreation, and survival. Sadly, there is a large percentage of people who cannot actually swim, even if their life depended on it. Included in this percentage are certain ethnic and socioeconomic populations that are especially impacted by their lack of swimming skills. In many minority and special needs communities, drowning has become a growing epidemic and is claiming underserved lives across the world. Drowning currently kills more poor children than ever before, yet could be solved by cooperative initiatives for diversity and inclusion within the swimming community. This preventable public health crisis kills millions each year and is perpetuated by factors such as the high costs associated with the sport, cultural stereotypes, even the right to accessibility to clean and safe water. The power of swimming is transformational and recommended for childhood health and development, yet water safety remains elusive to so many children around the globe as evidenced by the rise and fear of the global drowning epidemic. The swimming community and all its stakeholders need to rally their pioneers and ambassadors for the sport, once again, to swim upstream, united together against the resistance of current cultural prejudices and fatal misconceptions that continue to deny the holistic benefits of swimming. This paper will examine the benefits of swimming and show that teaching young people to swim will lead to improved physical and physiological outcomes for the individual swimmers, to reduced numbers of drowning fatalities, and to improved conditions for the planet. Swimming is not just a sport, or healthful activity, it is survival skill, a tool for enhancing the quality of life. Swimming, a life skill that is for the sake of our survival, as well as, for the joy and well-being of iv Swimming into Olympism and Saving Lives humanity, just as it is for conserving the environmental health of our future and planet. Water is paramount for survival yet the drowning risks are real. The disparities between race and gender statistics are known, so it is time to shed light on the murky waters that have kept swim education elusive and drowning risks on the rise in the many segments of the population one splash at a time. It is time to revisit the notion that swimming is far more than a sport, it is a life skill that is a basic human right that every man, woman and child has the right to learn as well as enjoy for a healthier life. v INTRODUCTION “If you aren’t a swimmer, an ex-swimmer, a coach, a swim parent or a chlorine addict, the only time you watch competitive swimming is during the Olympics. Every four years, the world sits down in front of their televisions, and watches as generations of great swimmers rise to the top of the podium” (Hardwick, 2014, p.1). One does not have to be a super fan or super star athlete to understand the power of swimming. And one does not need to become a competitive Olympic swimmer to learn how to swim. Swimming is relevant for each and every one of us, and it is the only sport that can save a life. Therefore, it is critical to pass on the knowledge and water safety skills in clear preventative guidelines to expose all demographics to the sport of swimming. It is time to stop drowning deaths and highlight the physical activity of swimming as a means to achieving this goal. It is paramount that learn-to-swim and water safety initiatives be affordable and easily accessible for all of the diverse populations in need. Swimming has generated a big splash for inclusiveness since the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, and although women were not participants at this time, FINA, The International Swimming Federation, the governing body of this sport, quickly recognized the need for equality in its waters. FINA has long leveled disparities among gender in competitive swimming and has worked to level the waters within the sport, and now must pursue racial disparity within the sport. Sports have been known to engage the public masses and so can bring change outside of the field, arena, even the competition pool and swimming has certainly paved the way for equal opportunity and representation in the pool. Beginning with the issue of gender equality in competitive swimming since the 1900’s, FINA has demonstrated the ability to change norms through the sport alone, of course with heroic leading ladies such as English Channel swimmer Gertrude Ederle, as well as Annette Kellerman. As women made progress in the sport of swimming, one pioneer in the sport stands out- Annette Kellerman. She an Australian native, born in 1877, who reinvented the very conventions of fashions towards women and aquatics. She used to aquatics for therapy and relief from pain she suffered as a child. Kellerman was freer to move about in the water with fluidity without the constrictions of her leg braces. Kellerman wore a male one-piece swimsuit that allowed her to move more efficiently through the water with less drag. At that time, it was 1 Swimming into Olympism and Saving Lives customary practice for wool skirts to be worn by women for appropriate modest coverage. Suits were definitely not well designed for either safety or speed (Fritscher, 2014). “They wore heavy, cumbersome bathing costumes that allowed them to