POSTED ON: 08 AUG, AUTHOR: GAIL RICKETT
A TEACHER who has had toddlers swimming a quarter of a mile unaided is urging Brit parents to rediscover ‘old-fashioned’ armbands and avoid potential tragedy.
Gail Rickett, who runs lessons across North West England, has tots as young as two swimming 200 meters and four year olds completing a mile.
Now she’s turned her attention to saving lives and is determined to get the message out there that individual armbands, made popular in the 1970s and 1980s, from her experiences are the best floatation device for youngsters not confident in the water.
‘Woggle’ and ‘noodle’ floats are much more common sights in modern day pools, but qualified lifeguard & swimming teacher Gail who has worked in pools for her entire career, insists she’s “never had to save a child from drowning wearing armbands”.
She added: “A lot of parents are led to believe that they should not put armbands on their children if they are non-swimmers or weak swimmers when playing around a swimming pool. I strongly disagree.”
Drowning is the third highest cause of death in children in the UK, while nine million British adults can’t swim.
Gail, aka The Water Whisperer, who has made TV appearances on the back of her phenomenal success rate with pupils, said: “As a lifeguard I have pulled many children out of the water and prevented hundreds from drowning.
“Only the other week I was teaching when some grandparents who were standing on the poolside fully clothed, wrapped a woggle around a three year old and pushed her into the pool in a depth where she couldn’t stand and I had to save her.
“Many will say their children are petrified of water but they don’t want them to get used to armbands.
“By wearing these floatation aids it helps them build confidence as they can move independently. I have lost count how many times I have seen a parent giving as I call it, a flying lesson, to their child. They hold their child up so high out of the swimming pool their knees and toes skim the top as the child frantically attempts to swim doggy paddle in the air.
“I was the first ever female lifeguard working on a beach in North West England and I’ve worked in one of the largest pools in Europe, I’ve never had to save a child from drowning who wore armbands, so they certainly help.”
Gail Ricket, aka The Water Whisperer, with her pupil Chloe Roberts (4) who can now swim a mile unaided
Gail Ricket, aka The Water Whisperer, with her pupil Chloe Roberts (4) who can now swim a mile unaided
Gail, who once did battle with the travelator on 90s TV classic Gladiators, has decades of experience as a qualified swimming teacher.
As a former competitive athlete, she puts the amazing feats achieved by her pupils down to her own teaching methods she has developed.
“One of my pupils, three year old Chloe Roberts swum a quarter of a mile and could swim a good front crawl turning her head correctly sideways – just like an adult swimmer – in addition to swimming breaststroke and backstroke.
“She was able to swim a whole mile by the age of four. Here’s a video of 3 year old Chloe showing the three strokes as I find some parents are not sure, Gail Ricket, aka The Water Whisperer, with her pupil Chloe Roberts (4) who can now swim a mile unaided.
“Just last week I ran a course for non-swimmers. After one lesson, one pupil learned a full stroke and she swam half-a-mile non-stop without support or floatation aids.” Gail is reaching out for support for more people and organisations to get behind her ‘Armbands On’ Campaign.
Anyone interested in more advice from Gail can contact her on 07449135450 or visit her
facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WaterWhisperer/
Website www.thewaterwhisperer.co.uk
*Nine million adults cannot swim and 60 children have been recorded as drowning in the UK during the summer months according to 2017 stats from the World Health Organisation and Teaching Times.
Gail is reaching out for support for more people and organisations to get behind her ‘Armbands On’ Campaign.
For more information contact:
Gail Rickett, The Water Whisperer:
Mobile: 07449135450 Email: thewaterwhisperer@aol.co.uk
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