- May 18, 2019
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Thank you for your interest in giving back to the swimming community by becoming a Swim Angel!
To become a Swim Angel, you must:
- Have previous experience as a Lifeguard.
- Be a competent swimmer
- Able to breathe on both sides so you can accommodate a single sided breather.
- Have open water experience
- Have the ability to tolerate cold
Your purpose, as a Swim Angel, is to assist swimmers in an open water swim that may not have participated in without your assistance. It is also to be present if a swimmer panics or needs support. This is not long-term therapy… this is getting a swimmer through a critical moment by understanding the fears of a beginning swimmer or triathlete
This training will cover:
How to approach a nervous swimmer
- What to say and ask, and what to avoid
- How to stay calm and be prepared
- Basic psychology of fear
Strategies for before and during the swim
- Understanding Water conditions, Current, Wind (direction and speed)
- Implications of water and air temperature
- What details of the race course to be familiar with
American Red Cross Lifeguarding review
The training will conclude with a practical exam. There will also be the standard written ARC First Aid/CPR/AED exam.
American Red Cross Lifeguarding manual can be found at:
http://www.instructorscorner.org/media/resources/l/lg_part_manual_landing.html
Lifeguarding will be briefly reviewed, but will focus on:
- Hypothermia – how to recognize the physical and verbal and what to do
- Preventing shock
- Signs and symptoms of a heart attack or stroke
- Conscious assists
- Unconscious assists – medical emergencies
- Removing someone from the water safely and effectively
Sign-up is free but please bring $40 cash (or be ready to Venmo) to pay instructor Bonnie Schwartz-Nolan.
If you cannot make this training but still want to be certified in CPR and/or Boat Observing, NY Open Water is offering training courses. We need boat observers for our long swims so please do consider taking this training as well.
Venue: Gazebo at Brighton 4th St.
Address:
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