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OUR OPINION
Ah, beach, here I come.
With summer before us and hotter days ahead, people understandably look to their local waterways for refreshing recreation. The idea is so appealing that tourism is built on it. People travel hundreds of miles to enjoy what many of us in the Pend Oreille River Valley might take for granted.
And with great fun, comes great responsibility, e.g. making sure our kids learn how to swim, know the basics of water safety, and look out for one another when we hit the river/lake.
According to the CDC, drowning is the number one cause of death for children ages 1 to 4. More than 50% of adults in the United States have never had a swimming lesson. More than 4,500 people drowned each year in the United States from 2020–2022.
Leafing through old copies of The Miner Newspaper from 1930 I found various articles totaling 10 drowning deaths between January and August. Nine were children all under the age of 16.
The aim of this opinion piece, however, is not to scare the swimsuits off anybody. Its aim is to educate and vitalize safety so all who take to the water this summer have only fond memories to look back on.
Understandably, not everyone has access to swimming lessons. Cost and location can be prohibitive.
Adults who don’t know how to swim may be embarrassed, especially around people who are part water dog. In the comfort of my rural, riverside bubble, I grew up thinking everyone must know how to swim and was genuinely surprised the first time I met someone who couldn’t. Which is one of the reasons I think we need to kindly encourage competent recreating on our waters.
On that note, Pend Oreille Rowing and Paddling Association (PORPA) are once again partnering with the Sandpoint Long Bridge Swim Association and Albeni Falls U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to offer free swim lessons to kids ages 1-17. While the lessons are free, donations are gratefully accepted. According to PORPA’s website, more than 100 children attended the lessons in 2024.
The time to register is now. All swim lessons start the first week of August and are broken down as follows: Ages 1-4 and 5-8 will receive 30-minute lessons for three days a week for two weeks. Ages 9-12 and 13-17 will have three 45-minute lessons for one week.
All classes are held in the open water setting of the Riley Creek Recreation Area swim beach in Laclede.
Registration is first come, first served. If an age range is filled up, people can still register their child in case there is a cancellation.
For more information, go to www.priestriverswimlessons. com. Questions can be emailed to water_ [email protected]. To learn more about water safety, go to www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-preparefor- emergencies/types-of-emergencies/water-safety. com
SOPHIA MATTICE-ALDOUS IS A MURROW NEWS FELLOW WORKING DIRECTLY WITH NEWSROOMS AT THE NEWPORT MINER AND RANGE MEDIA THROUGH A PROGRAM ADMINISTERED BY WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY. HER REPORTING IS AVAILABLE FOR USE VIA CREATIVE COMMONS WITH CREDIT.
