SALT LAKE CITY — Missy Franklin, a five-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming, spoke to FOX 13 about the importance of safe swimming ahead of the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.
Franklin said it’s never too early or too late for swim lessons, which can be reduce a child’s risk of drowning by 88 percent.
Franklin started taking swim lessons when she was six months old. She told FOX 13 the earlier a child is exposed to water, the more comfortable he or she will be around it.
She also told FOX 13 it’s important for parents to keep all of their attention on their children during a swimming session.
“If they’re beginning to look panicked, if they’re beginning to look uncomfortable, I think flailing, a lot of splashing, anything where you can kind of just use that intuition to sense that something isn’t right and immediately go into the rescue,” Franklin said. “Wever you have someone you love in the water you’re not distracted, you’re not on your phone, you're really focused on whoever it is that is around that body of water so you’re there in case anything happens.”
While swim lessons can save lives, they can also be a lot of fun for kids who want to spend time in the water and hang out with friends.
