Arizona
YMCA shares how Arizona families can make swimming safety a priority this summer
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) – Last week, an Arizona teen drowned at Show Low Lake, and local swim safety experts are calling for swimming education courses for all ages.
Arizona’s Family’s Sarah Robinson, visited the YMCA Valley of the Sun facility in Goodyear to discuss this preventable cause of death. Fifteen-year-old Chris Hampton was a Cesar Chavez High School student on a football team training camp trip when it happened. Police say several teens swam in the lake after practice, but Hampton never resurfaced.
Family and friends hosted a candlelight vigil for Hampton on Friday, recalling his kind personality and all-star athletic ability. His family is now desperately searching for answers about his last moments, wondering how this could have happened.
Shelbi Schmidt, associate executive director of Aquatics, said that in Arizona, 60 individuals died from drowning-related causes in 2022. Forty-five of those deaths were of teenagers and adults. Around 87% of U.S. drownings are in pools, and between 3,500 and 4,000 people die by drowning every year in the states, approximately ten every day.
A childhood friend is remembering a high school football player who was found dead at the bottom of Show Low Lake.
“It’s very important that they (children and adults) follow all boating and water safety laws. We really encourage people to wear lifejackets… never swim alone… and swim lessons reduce the risk of drowning by nearly 88%,” Schmidt said. Swim lessons can start as early as six months for kids and never have an age limit. Knowing the basics of staying afloat, blowing bubbles, doggy paddling, and proper breathing techniques while in the water can save lives.
Reach and throw, don’t go!
Schmidt emphasized that brown, murky water can make finding victims difficult in a lake. Life jackets or floaties can mean the difference between life and death with going swimming in a lake. Adults and teens can get free swim lessons at the Southwest Valley Family YMCA and the Ahwatukee Foothills Family YMCA through the end of August. You can learn more here!
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