Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM 24 UCW JULY 6 - 12, 2022 Summertime for young people should offer fun, friendship and great memories, and what can be more fun than a cool, refreshing swim? Sadly, every summer brings the news that someone in our community, usually a young person, has drowned. Why is this the case, and what do we need to know before heading to the water? According to the World Health Organization, drowning is the third leading cause of accidental death worldwide, largely affecting children and teenagers. Males are especially at risk, with twice the mortality rate of females. e male brain certainly bears examining. Young males, in particu- lar, are more likely to take risks, such as swimming alone or in secluded waters not authorized for recreational activity. Males of all ages succumb to predictable notions of invincibility and bravado. e point here is not to assign blame to drowning victims or their families but rather to spark a discussion. It is not they who are tragically tone-deaf. It is society at large for not giving drowning the urgency it demands. Adults, this is where you come in. First of all, we need to know what drowning looks like. Contrary to the popular notion of someone flailing madly in the water, experts agree it usually happens in silence. It can oc- cur quickly, in as little as a minute. A swimmer with his mouth open, gasping for air, his head bobbing in and out of the water, needs immediate help. Hair blocking the eyes or fore- head and trying to swim in a specific direction but with no progress are other danger signs. Safety experts agree on a few key suggestions: don't go swimming alone, learn CPR, avoid alcohol before swimming and boating, add fences, alarms and cameras to home swim- ming pools and swim only in desig- nated waters (secluded spots pose such risks as rocks, debris, currents and extreme depths not always antici- pated). Most importantly, encourage swimming lessons. e YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs and municipal pools are the best places to start. In a nutshell, supervise. Supervise the inexperienced swimmers, and su- pervise the experienced. In addition to adult supervision, encourage young swimmers to look out for each other. Fifty years ago this month, I lost a dear family mem- ber to drowning. Surviving family members tend to torture themselves, wondering what they could have done differently. We endlessly pon- der how far our best efforts go before fate takes over, but, as mere humans, our best efforts are all we have. News reports alone can't convey the loss felt by families and communities touched by drowning. Individual sto- ries are, in fact, chapters in a national tragedy, but we as a society reflexively write them all off as an unfortunate offshoot of an otherwise carefree season. My wish is that young people enjoy their summers and let go, if only tem- porarily, of care and worry while still looking out for themselves and each other. Our job as adults is to foster the perfect balance between having fun and exercising caution. Youth is fleet- ing enough; let us hold onto its energy and innocence for as long as we can. Before heading to the water, let's talk about swim safety by DAVID BOZEMAN FITNESS Photo courtesy of Pexels DAVID BOZEMAN, Contributing writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-484-6200. Lumb e e Gu ar ant y B a nk .c o m Great news from Lumbee Guaranty Bank! Open a Lumbee Perks checking account, and get so much more than full-service checking and convenient banking. Our personal checking accounts come with benefits that save you money and provide peace of mind: • Free Debit Card and Online and Mobile Banking 1 • Discounts on Shopping, Dining, and Travel 2 • Fuel Savings • Cell Phone Protection 3 • Identity Theft Aid 3,4 • And More! Stop by our nearest branch, or visit our website for details on our Lumbee Perks accounts. Benefits subject to additional terms and conditions and vary based on account product opened. 1 For Online and Mobile Banking, mobile carrier messaging and data rates may apply. 2 Participating merchants are not sponsors of the program, subject to change without notice, may not be available in all regions, and may choose to limit deals. 3 Insurance products are NOT A DEPOSIT, NOT FDIC INSURED, NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY, NOT GUARANTEED BY THE BANK, MAY GO DOWN IN VALUE. 4 Identity monitoring and credit monitoring each require additional activation to begin. Get Instant Savings Get Instant Savings with with