news
O
lympic gold medal
swimmer Cullen Jones
had a narrow escape
from drowning when he was
just 5 years old. At a water
park in Allenstown, Penn., he
came down a slide, shot under-
water, and struggled to breathe
until he blacked out. He didn’t
come to until his father pulled
him from the pool and a life-
guard resuscitated him.
It didn’t faze him, he says.
“When I was in high school,
we had to learn to swim in
freshman PE,” he said. I think
if it was made more accessible
and required for PE then more
people would be able to swim.
Not a lot of inner-city African
American kids have backyard
pools. But everyone loves the
water – unless they have faced
this kind of tragedy and they
are afraid.”
So why is it that so many
African Americans don’t
swim?
Jones said fear was the main
reason, and that fear is passed
down through the generations.
Parents can’t swim and they
fear drowning. And that fear is
passed along to the next gener-
ation. Now is a good time to
break that cycle, he says.
To help more families send
their children to swim lessons,
the
USA
Swimming
Foundation, works with local
partners, who provide free and
low-cost lessons.
Sponsors Conoco Phillips
have
supported
USA
Swimming Foundation pro-
grams for 38 years.
Page 8 The Seattle Skanner august 17, 2011
PHOTO crediT: HeLen SiLViS
Youth of All Colors Must
Learn Water Safety
Cullen Jones at the Wattles Boys and girls Club this week.
Watch the Video “Swim Class with Cullen Jones” online at www.theskanner.com