Kids Join Olympians To Make A Splash!

On Monday November 19, the USA Swimming Foundation hosted a swim clinic at the Imagine Swimming Pool in lower Manhattan for 31 third graders from P.S. 92 in Harlem. Parks arranged P.S. 92's participation in the clinic, since the school took part in our Swim For Life program last year at the John Hansborough Pool in Manhattan.

Learning how to swim is one thing, learning how to swim from four Olympians is quite another. Olympians participating in the clinic included Cullen Jones - 2012 and 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist, Tyler Clary - 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist, Anthony Ervin - 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist and Kathleen Hersey - 2012 and 2008 Olympian.

The clinic highlighted the USA Swimming Foundation's MAKE-A-SPLASH program, which is a national water safety initiative to teach children to swim and prevent drowning. Parks is a local MAKE-A-SPLASH partner receiving grant money from the USA Swimming Foundation to support our Swim For Life program. The goal of Swim For Life is to make 70,000 second graders in NYC safer in and around the water by teaching them to swim. MAKE-A-SPLASH has awarded Parks grant money totaling $20,000. The funding has resulted in 200 additional children learning to swim through Parks Swim For Life program.

Assistant Commissioner Annika Holder stated that NYC Parks is pleased to be a local partner of MAKE-A-SPLASH and shares a common vision with USA Swimming to save lives and reduce the incidence of drowning among children.

The children had a great time in and out of the water. They were introduced to Olympians Anthony Irwin, Cullen Jones, Scott Tyler Clary and Kathleen Hershey. Afterwards the children were split into two groups learning valuable swimming skills in the water and safety awareness skills on land from their Olympic teachers. At the conclusion of their lessons, children were treated to a race between the Olympians, t-shirts, lunch, autographs and a question and answer session.

John Hutchins, Parks Director of Citywide Aquatics, stated that the kids had as much fun in the water as they did out of the water with the Olympians. During the safety talk, Hutchins said one child asked Olympic Gold Medalist Cullen Jones if he could breath under water. Based on the high caliber of America's Olympian swimmers, it seems you have to have "gills" to qualify for the team!



Parks will be hosting a Blood Drive in he Arsenal 3rd Floor Gallery from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 6 & Friday, December 7.

Help Save A Life! Did You Know?
• The average adult has 8—12 pints of blood and can easily spare one pint.
• By donating one unit (that’s about one pint) of blood, you can help save several lives. How? By separating each donation into its components: red blood cells (for anemia); white blood cells (for leukemia); plasma (for burns); cryoprecipitate (for hemophilia) and platelets (for internal bleeding)
• Only 5% of eligible donors actually give blood. We need more eligible donors like you to change that statistic and make a difference!

The Arsenal is located at 830 Fifth Avenue, at East 64th Street.

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