Keep the WSCC Pool Open
By Sarah Cooper
Dec 6, 2023
As a Friend of the West Shore Community College pool, it is important for the community to be aware of the importance of a community pool, and the impending decision to close the WSCC pool due to renovations needed.
“Every year the news is peppered with devastating stories about parents who lost children or families who lost loved ones who drowned. You never think it will happen to you, but that’s what everyone who experienced it thought, too.” A member of the WSCC Rec Center (who I will call Ann and her son, Jeff) shared a terrifying near drowning incident with her youngest son, Jeff.
Although Ann had taken her oldest son to WSCC for tot swim lessons at the pool previously, her youngest son, Jeff had not taken swim lessons. Ann was in Florida at a resort with her family that included her three sons, the youngest being 3 years old.
Ann’s son Jeff, who had been playing mini golf, got bored and asked his father if he could join his mother and grandmother at the pool a few yards away. A few minutes later, Ann heard a scream from a woman who had been sitting by the pool who had seen Jeff underwater. The woman noticed that Jeff was wearing shorts, t-shirt, and shoes and wasn’t moving.
Ann saw the woman bringing her son out of the pool, lifeless. Jeff was placed on his side and began to cough up water. Fortunately, Jeff was only under water for a short time, but paramedics were called and Jeff was hospitalized for two days, to rule out pneumonia.
Ann signed Jeff up for swim lessons at a private pool in town, and the first year of swim lessons, Jeff would only sit on the side of the pool in fear of the water. The following year, Jeff took swim lessons at the high school pool, but never became comfortable in water.
Here are some drowning facts
• Twenty-three percent of child drownings happen during a family gathering near a pool.
• Children 5 -17 years old are more likely to drown in natural water, such as ponds or lakes.
• Learning to swim can reduce the risk of drowning by 88 percent for 1 to four-year-olds who take formal swim lessons.
• Everyone should know the basics of swimming (floating, moving through the water) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
As the state of Michigan has 11,000 inland lakes and more freshwater shoreline than any state in the U.S., and remains a “sportsperson’s” paradise, it is imperative that we teach swimming and water safety and provide opportunities to practice year-round swimming so that as our children grow, they will remain safe around water and enjoy the beautiful state of Michigan. There are many reasons to keep the WSCC pool open and many possibilities for funding renovations in our community. Let’s work together to keep the WSCC pool open!
Sarah Cooper
Sarah is a competitive triathlete, a retired teacher/preschool director and currently an independent educational consultant.