HomeMy Public PortalAboutTOL PR 2012-05-14 World's Largest Swimming Lesson
Town of Leesburg
News Release
For Immediate Release
Leesburg’s A.V. Symington Aquatic Center Will Once Again Be
An Official Host Location for the “World’s Largest Swimming
Lesson” on Thursday, June 14, 2012
3rd annual drowning prevention event hopes to set another World Record
Leesburg, VA (May 14, 2012) – On
Thursday, June 14, 2012, thousands
of kids and adults at aquatics facilities
around the globe will unite to set a
new global record for the World’s
Largest Swimming Lesson™ (WLSL).
The A.V. Symington Aquatic Center in
Leesburg’s Ida Lee Park will be an
official host location for the event,
taking place at 11:00 a.m.
In 2010, the inaugural WLSL event
established the Guinness World
Record for the largest simultaneous swimming lesson ever conducted when almost 4,000
participants across 34 states, five countries and three continents participated to build
awareness about the vital importance of teaching children to swim to prevent drowning. Last
year’s WLSL event grew more than 400% with 20,000+ participants representing 13 countries
around the globe and 45 states in the U.S.
Tragically, drowning is the second leading cause of unintended, injury-related death of children
ages 1 to 14 in the United States. In fact, more than one in four fatal drowning victims are
children. Research shows that if a person doesn’t learn to swim before the 3rd grade, he or she
likely never will learn to swim. The threat of childhood drowning is even greater around the
globe.
The WLSL program works to promote drowning prevention through education by focusing the
energy of thousands of participants with a clear and specific message all at the same time.
Aquatic facilities from Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon near Orlando, Florida to swim schools in
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TOL PR 2012-05-14 World’s Largest Swim Lesson
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Orange County, California, to parks & recreation centers in the Bronx, to locations in Mexico,
Dubai and Lebanon, have all participated in the event to help send the message that Swimming
Lessons Save Lives™.
“We’re thrilled to see such incredible growth of the WLSL program in two short years,” said Rick
Root, President of the World Waterpark Association. “The greater the participation, the more
families we’re able to reach with this crucial message.”
“Parents understand how important it is to protect their children by using car seats and requiring
bike helmets,” said Jodi Fisher, Aquatic Supervisor at Ida Lee. “Someday, we hope the same will
hold true for teaching kids to swim.”
Participants can pre-register through Ida Lee’s WebTrac program at
www.leesburgva.gov/index.aspx?page=284 (Code: 101910a) or they can register on site,
beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 14, 2012. The Guinness World Record attempt will
begin at precisely 11:00 a.m. Everyone participating in the record attempt must be registered, in
position and ready to begin the lesson before the official start time. For more information,
please call the Ida Lee Park Recreation Center at 703-777-1368.
About The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™: The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ was
created as a platform to help aquatic facilities and the many different regional, national and
international water safety and drowning prevention organizations work together to communicate
the fundamental importance of teaching children to swim. For more information, please visit
www.wlsl.org.
Contact:
Jodi Fisher
Aquatics Supervisor
jfisher@leesburgva.gov
703-737-7377
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