Winter Swimming Concerns

By James L. Reiser III, M.S.

If you NEVER had your child in swimming lessons in the winter before - has that prevented your child from getting a cold or the flu? of course it hasn't.

Has your child EVER been sick in the summer? Of course he has.

So why do so many parents avoid taking their child to swimming lessons in the winter? Because you and I have heard for generations, "Don't go out with a wet head, you'll catch a cold!"

I grew up in the north. My father was a full-time swim teacher, coach, and aquatic director at Meadowvale Elementary School in Johnstown, PA (yes-an elementary school with a pool and my father taught swimming 6 periods a day!). Until I was old enough to go to school, I used to go to the pool with him daily and swim in most every class in the heart of the winter. And I mean winter as in - COLD WEATHER!

I also remember my dad using a hairdryer (a new invention at the time) to blow-dry my sisters' hair and mine before we'd leave the pool, and he would blow-dry our hair until it was "static electricity city" dry! I AM SURE he had strict instructions from MOM! What I don't remember is ever getting sick. I mean we were rarely sick and we were swimmers! I do remember being jealous of a few kids in my grade who seemed to always be sick and got to stay home from school a lot, and I know for a fact they weren't swimmers.

There is a touch of truth in, "don't go out with a wet head," but it's mostly an old wives tale. Health is not based on the, amount of stress encountered but on the strength of the immune system. If our immune system is already compromised, then any extra stress could cause a breakdown in resistance triggering some sort of illness. BUT your child has a much greater chance picking up illnesses thru classmates at school than from taking swimming lessons in the winter in one of our 90-93 degree WARM POOLS.

It is my professional opinion that getting your child in the water for swim lessons in the winter is of the utmost importance. If you stick with it through the spring, by the time summer rolls around your child will be so much further ahead and that much safer in and around the water.

Most parents and physicians agree that they'd much rather have a victim of the common cold than a victim of drowning. Of course that comment was somewhat facetious, but you can't ignore the fact that the common cold and most illnesses can be readily treated - a victim of drowning can not.

Learning to swim is not the only step in drowning prevention, but it is certainly one of the most important ones. As a swimming and water safety professional, it is my obligation to you and to every child I can reach... to stress both of those points again and again.

James L. Reiser III is the founder and C.O.O. of The Swim Lessons Company, a Columbia, SC-based swim school that teaches children year-round ages 6 months thru adults. Jim has presented at three national conferences for both the National Swim School Association and the American Swimming Coaches Association. He has produced two instructional swimming videos which have sold over 1,000 copies, has written numerous articles and manuscripts, and it working on his first book.