Always swim with a buddy - even in the pool.  You never know when you might get a cramp, or get sick, or injure yourself in some manner.  Pay attention and know where your buddy is at all times.  Be prepared to help when necessary.

Meet Marshals are extremely important to the conduct of meets and the safety of all the participants.  Here are ten essential elements to consider when serving as or training Meet Marshals.

Injuries caused by doors in and around the venue make up a good portion of accident reports from meets and practices.  Here's some things to think about regarding door safety.

The body normally regulates its temperature through the hypothalamus center in the brain. Prolonged exposure to cold water and / or air wears down the body’s compensatory mechanisms. Shivering may occur in an effort to generate more body heat. The arms and legs become very cool as the skin and muscle blood vessels constrict to conserve heat. Continued cold exposure leads to lethargy, apathy, hallucinations, increased urine output, lower heart rate, and decreasing blood pressure. The resulting confusion and weakness associated with hypothermia may increase the risk for falls on the deck and misjudgment of turns and lane line boundaries in the pool. Progressive hypothermia may cause heart irregularities and significant muscular weakness.  Here's some tips for staying warm at meets.

So, it is 6:30am, no coffee or tea on deck yet, and you are asked to serve as one of TWO Marshals for the warm up period.  As you try very hard to be splashed by the swimmers to wake up a bit, here are a few pointers that may come to mind.

Do you know where your pool's First Aid Station or First Aid Kit is located?  Do you know what should be in it?  Do you know who's responsible for it?  Answers to these questions and more.

Proper illumination of the swimming meet facility is essential for safe swimming competition.  There are still a number of natatoriums that, even during the day when the sun is high in the sky, the lighting within the immediate pool area is poor.  However, regardless of the amount of ambient sunlight in an indoor pool venue, a sudden electrical outage can wreak havoc on the swimmers, coaches, and officials.  What happens when the lights go out in the venue while the meet is underway?

Swimming safety really starts when the athlete leaves the house and should be in effect until the swimmer arrives home.  Fatigue is a major deterrent to careful driving.  Navigating a new route, severe fog, ice, and driving rain are factors that impede safe driving.  Changing songs on a CD player or radio may lead to a serious accident.  Cell phone use during driving has become a major cause of accidents for many youth.  More on driving and our athletes.

Proactive addressing of sudden chest pain provides the EARLY mobilization of essential health care personnel and may save a person’s life.  More information.

PWCS's Coach, Jamie Gaskill, conducted a Water Safety Campaign Event in May.
More information.

So, you are at a swim meet, and it is more than 95 degrees in the shade. There is not a cloud to be seen in the deep blue sky and the sun strikes like an oven over the entire 50 meter pool and deck.  You forgot your straw hat, and you later realize that your suntan lotion has already leaked out into your swim bag.  So, how can you survive the next 8 hours at this swim meet?  Here are a few easy guidelines that may prevent heat exhaustion and dehydration.