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Home › Articles › Kids' Fitness › The Coolest Pastime

The Coolest Pastime

Swim for Year-round, Lifetime Fitness

By Leigh Brown Perkins

Pages:  1  2  3  

  • Use a kick board to improve your leg skills before adding arm strokes.

    • Learning to swim well as a family also opens up a variety of new sporting options. After all, you can't surf, scuba, snorkel, raft, boat, high-dive, canoe, kayak, water ski, boogie board or scream through the tunnel of terror at the local water park without excellent swimming skills.

    Getting Serious

    If your child has taken to swimming like a fish to water, competitive swimming might be the next logical step. Linda Serkiz's twin 7-year-olds, Max and Jack, have been swimming since they were 7 months old and could swim the length of the pool at 3. By 5, they could out swim their mom, doing flip turns at the wall and competing on their local swim team in Aiken, S.C. "At Jack's first swim meet, he crawled the rope the whole length of the pool," Serkiz says. "But everyone was cheering for him, and it was such a positive experience that he couldn't wait to do it again."

    There are hundreds of swim teams across the country for the littlest swimmers up to masters. The YMCA has more than 1,000 facilities offering its competitive swimming and diving program, with 50,000 kids participating. USA Swimming, the national governing body for the sport, sponsors competitions for kid athletes through Olympians. Their Web site (www.usaswimming.org) provides links to swim teams throughout the country.

    "Kids can start at age 5 in the Y program," How-Kentner says. "It's a great introduction to competition, teamwork and good sportsmanship." To join, kids must be able to swim one length of the pool both freestyle and backstroke (kids may not make the cut in other programs if they haven't mastered all of the strokes). "No matter what age they start, they can learn to swim competitively," she says. "But the focus should always be on fun."

    Common Pool Problems

    Swimmer's ear, an infection or irritation of the outer ear and ear canal

    Know it: Ear pain (worse when pulling on the outer ear), itching and yellowish discharge
    Treat it: Prescription antibiotic drops
    Prevent it: Dry the ear completely after swimming (tilting to each side helps). Use earplugs. Drop a homemade mixture of equal parts alcohol and white vinegar into each ear after swimming or bathing to prevent bacterial growth.

    Swimmer's diarrhea, caused by water contaminated with germs like E. coli

    Know it: Stomach pain and diarrhea
    Treat it: Over-the-counter medications like Pepto Bismol for mild cases, but medical treatment for more severe cases, especially in very young children
    Prevent it: Never swim when you have diarrhea (chlorine does not always kill the germs that cause it). Do not allow children to swallow water. Take frequent toilet breaks, washing hands and bottoms thoroughly before reentering the pool). Never change diapers on the pool deck.

    Athlete's foot, a fungus found in pools and locker rooms that thrives between and underneath toes

    Know it: Dry, red, flaky, cracked skin that burns or itches or both
    Treat it: Over-the-counter anti-fungal creams, such as Tinactin or Lotrimin AF
    Prevent it: Always wear flip-flops on pool decks and changing rooms. Dry your feet well after swimming. Don't share towels.

    Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health


    Pages:  1  2  3  


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