Children and swimming safety

As families head to the pool or the beach for the long Memorial Day weekend, experts are urging water safety. They say it’s important for kids to get started in swimming lessons early in life to prevent drowning deaths.

Three-time Olympian Ryan Murphy is no stranger to the water.

“This was the 400 mixed medley relay from this past summer,” Murphy said. 

The nine-time Olympic medal winner has been swimming since he was a kid, and as new father to his little girl, Eevi, he’s eager to get her into the pool this summer to learn safe practices.

“We’re starting as early as four months old so you can get babies in the water very, very young,” Murphy said.

According to the National Institute of Health, taking part in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning for children between one and four years old by up to 88%.

Phoebe Purnell and Myles Walker are both three years old and in swimming lessons at the Goldfish Swim School. Their parents got them enrolled young so they could learn safe pool practices.

“It was always really important for us for him to learn to swim early, just in case we’re ever near a body of water and he was drawn to it. We wanted to make sure that he was safe,” Jackie Orsher, Myles’ mom, said.

“It has been really important for us to make sure that she is comfortable and feels safe in the water. That’s really the primary thing, not to make her, you know, an Olympian,” Justin Purnell, Phoebe’s dad, said.

Though the Olympics aren’t necessarily the goal, Murphy says what these little ones are learning in the pool not only keeps them safe but gives them a good training base.

“As I watch the swim lessons, obviously the children are learning a life-saving skill, but they’re also learning proper technique in the water,” Murphy said.