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Leadership Council 2009 Update
From Kelley Frechette
SAVE THE DATE!
Leadership Council
February 4 - 9, 2009
Charleston, South Carolina
Don't miss this annual event! Update your certifications, advance to the next level, or add a new certification while participating in the most relevant aquatic conference of the year!
Leadership Council Trainings Available:
Wednesday - Starfish Swim Instructor Trainer
Wednesday - Starfish Swimming Program Facilitator
Saturday/Sunday - AquaTech Instructor Part B
Saturday/Sunday - AquaTech Part B
Saturday/Sunday - StarGuard Instructor Part B
Thank you to the many who have already registered! Cabins are filling up, so don't delay in calling us today!
Leadership Council is an event exclusively for our training center directors and leadership personnel. This event is unique in the industry, offering management staff the opportunity to improve management techniques, keep up with the latest in aquatics and risk management, and help shape the future of today's premier aquatic training agency.
Leadership Council 2009 will be held at the beautiful James Island County Park, located in historic Charleston, South Carolina. This event is conducted in an intensive retreat format where attendees stay in on-site family style cottages and eat, work and socialize together. Attendees staying through Monday will have first choice on on-site cottages. There will be a high ropes course as part of our Leadership Council and a reception on Friday evening.
COST OF ROOM, BOARD, AIRPORT TO CABIN TRANSPORTATION, AND LEADERSHIP COURSE FEES:
$698 for Leadership Council (Wednesday-Friday, check out Saturday morning)
$898 for Leadership Council and Training (Wednesday-Sunday, check out Monday morning) or Leadership Council with Optional Weekend in Charleston (Wednesday-Sunday, check out Monday morning)
Costs of training materials, CAP packs and optional weekend social events are additional.
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Notes from St. Lucia
This past summer I was chosen by USA Swimming to run a swim instruction clinic in St. Lucia which was sponsored by FINA, the international governing body for the sport of swimming. I spent two weeks on the southern part of the island, which lies in the Eastern Caribbean. The island is only 239 square miles and has a population of mostly African descent (82.5% of the population).
I ran two separate one-week clinics which attracted swim coaches, school teachers, marine patrol, firefighters, parents, resort personnel, and many young swimmers. We spent the first day of each clinic reviewing the elements of effective teaching, and the next four days introducing swim and safety skills for infants, children, and adults and reviewing aquatic emergency scenarios. Each day concluded with teachback sessions incorporating local children and adults.
St. Lucia only has one competitive swimming facility on the northside of the island. This pool is used primarily and exclusively by the northerners, whose competive nature has led to the formation of eight separate swim teams -- all of whom are fighting for pool time.
The southerners of the island are left with the beautiful coves and beaches. While the view is incredible, the natural outdoors bring many factors into the scenario that otherwise would not have to be tolerated. Most swim teams practicing in pools deal with an occasional water temperature or chemical problem and distractions consist of others visiting the pool to workout or play. The St. Lucian beach factors and distractions include jellyfish, water currents, horses running up and down the beach, wild dogs, possibility for severe sun burn, and even peddlers.
I was given the opportunity to visit group swim lessons held in a beautiful cove. At the edge of the cove you could find beautiful coral and fish. What a neat place to teach water acclimation and exploration! However, you only have approximately 10 feet of shallow water before the ocean floor drops off to an unimaginable depth. You literally go from seeing the ocean floor, to not. I swam through the cove in the deepest blue water I have ever witnessed. With no sight of an ocean floor, or even anything but deep blue, I found myself, an experienced swimmer, overwhelmed and wishing to return to shore.
While standing ashore I also witnessed a town quarrel, as fisherman were pulling in their nets and locals came rushing to "help" pull in the net and then take off with whatever seafood they could carry.
I was told that many on the island do not approve of swim lessons. They are scared of the water and their inclination is to keep their children away from it. Those that do approve, see no problem with sending even a three-year-old through town by herself to the beach to participate. I have a three-year-old whom I cannot even imagine crossing the street by herself, nonetheless traveling through town to go swim at the beach. Can you imagine?
While the trip provided for much insight into the Caribbean carefree lifestyle and the lack of aquatic risk management at all levels, I do find striking correlations with other aquatic environments. Take Savannah, GA, a city located on the Atlantic Ocean and full of rivers, and numerous aquatic habitats. Records indicate that between 2002 - 2004 drowning was ranked third for childhood injury. Research shows that parents would rather keep their children from the water, instead of teaching them water safety and drowning prevention. The mindset is that swim lessons are only necessary for those wishing to swim. In speaking with other industry professionals, there seem to be many of these such trends. I find it very intriguing that Phoenix, Arizona and all of its suburbs are well known for their large and successful swim lesson programs, and yet they do not live with near the amount of natural water concerns that others do.
Let's continue to work together to decrease drownings and save lives! Spread the word that swim lessons are a cure! Educate parents on a routine basis about the importance of learning water safety skills. Join a water safety committee in your area to promote your learn to swim program and get information into the school systems. Working together, we can make a difference!
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 Sara's Spin
HK-SAI Survey & AID Reminders
From Sara Poe
Most of you should have received an invitation to complete a brief survey in recent weeks from webserver@hkusa.com. Please take the time to complete this, as your input on items from online course offerings to products/services is invaluable in moving us forward. Thank you to those who've already responded!
An email regarding our new Aquatic Incident Database (AID) also went out a few months ago, asking all training centers to record rescue/incident data in this database. A great majority of you have already done this, and you are to be commended for a great job! If you haven't accessed this database yet, or submitted 2008 reports, please contact me, so that we can get you up and running as quickly as possible!
The Aquatic Incident Database (AID) is an international database of aquatic rescues and prehospital resuscitation events. The AID is housed online at www.AquaticEducationCenter.com. Initiated in 2008 and sponsored by the Human Kinetics Aquatic Education Center, the AID is available for use by any aquatic facility or organization, regardless of training agency affiliation. The mission of the AID is to reduce disability and death from drowning or spinal injury by providing a means of collecting data to use for evidence-based protocols, patron safety, aquatic rescue team response, effective resuscitation, and prehospital care.
The first version of AID collects data from lifeguarded facilities, and seeks to obtain information about rescues, victim recognition characteristics, and what occurs during CPR for a submersion incident (drowning) - information most often unavailable from reporting systems which rely on data collected after a patient arrives at the hospital. (Note: Starfish Swimming Providers are responsible for logging all incidents, whether a lifeguard is scanning the water, or the child watcher program has been implemented.)
If you encounter any problems using AID or accessing the survey, please do not hesitate to contact Sara Poe via email, or phone (877-465-4545) or Kandace Turner via email or phone (877-747-5293 ext 2334). |
 Carmel's Corner
By Carmel Sielicki, Aquatic Programs Specialist
Don't miss these upcoming aquatic conferences! If you plan to attend any of the below conferences and would like to set up a time to speak with a Starfish Aquatics Institute or Human Kinetics representative, please contact me at carmels@hkusa.com to arrange an appointment. We look forward to seeing you there!
NRPA (National Recreation & Park Association) - Baltimore, Maryland - Booth #3444 - October 15 - 17, 2008
World Aquatic Health Conference - Colorado Springs, CO - October 15 - 17, 2008
United States Swim School Association Conference - Phoenix, AZ - October 22 - 23, 2008
WWA (World Waterpark Association) - Las Vegas, NV - Booth #560 - October 28 - 29, 2009
WPRA - (Wisconsin Park & Recreation Association) - La Crosse, WI - Booth #62 - November 5 - 6, 2008
Athletic Business Conference - San Antonio, TX - December 4 - 6, 2009
IPAD / IRPA - (Illinois Park & Recreation Association) - Chicago, IL - Booth #918 & 920 - January 29 - 31, 2009
CPRS - (California & Pacific Southwest Recreation & Park Training Conference & Exhibit Show) - Santa Clara, CA - Booth #104 - March 3 - 6, 2009
Send a Friend to Starfish, Get a FREE Book!
Starfish Aquatics Institute and Human Kinetics have teamed up to offer a FREE webinar presentation which gives anyone interested a chance to find out more information about our programs. The webinar takes about 30 minutes and covers all of our programs; all you need is a phone line and a computer with internet connection. This is also an opportunity to ask questions about our programs and products.
Send a friend and receive a free book from Human Kinetics!
Refer a friend to the webinar and we will send a book to both you and the person who completes the webinar. Make sure your friend mentions you as a referral!
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 2009 Training Center Annual Renewal Fee
Great news! The Annual Training Center Renewal Fee has stayed the same for 2009. Watch for your invoice to arrive the first week in December. This $300 fee is due by December 31, 2008, and payment will ensure that you get another great year of service from all of us at Starfish Aquatics Institute.
Also, be on the look out for your Information Update Form. Please complete this form and return it as soon as possible so that our systems reflect accurate and current information.
Thank you, in advance, for your help!
Jeanmarie Hagedorn, Director of Finance
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