I Kam Swim

I Kam Swim is taking an end of summer/back to school break.

BUT! 🦩*stay tuned*🦩 for a few very exciting announcements to come!

💕🩷With all the love I can muster from the bottom of my little heart- a huge thank you to all of my families and swimmers for a fantastic summer. I’m so grateful for you!🩷💕

World Drowning Prevention Day 💦

Join us in recognizing World Drowning Prevention Day!

This day is dedicated to spreading awareness about the dangers of drowning and promoting the best practices to keep everyone safe in and around water. Through education and outreach, we can significantly reduce the risk of drowning and protect our loved ones.

Whether it's through swimming lessons, implementing safety measures, or simply staying vigilant, every effort counts. Let's make water safety a priority for all.

Download the Parent Water Safety Toolkit and protect your family against drowning! https://ndpa.org/parents/

Happy 2️⃣0️⃣th anniversary to my biggest supporter and the one who handles all of the business logistics at I Kam Swim!

These swimmers rounded out our last official session at I Kam Swim. Each one of these swimmers has persevered in their own way and the reward for their work is so so sweet. My heart is so full when I think about how proud I am of them. Good job swimmers!

Hurricane Beryl caused us to have to move a couple of days around, but, we completed another session at I Kam swim! Such big accomplishments this session! Getting comfortable swimming in deep water, swimming without holding their noses, and getting more confident in skills! It was so exciting for all of us to see such accomplishments! Excellent work swimmers!

Happy 4th from I Kam Swim! Hope you have a fun and safe day- Especially safe if you are around water!
Remember- life jackets in open water!

Reppin’ I Kam Swim in Orange Beach, Alabama! Was a great week of R&R!

Another completed session at I Kam Swim! This was a group of all ranges from beginner swimmers to swimmers wanting to build their skills. The excitement was palpable when they reached milestones! I’m so proud of them! Great job swimmers!

Today it’s been 5 years since we said goodbye to this precious niece of mine Kameryn, for whom I Kam Swim exists. Five years since we walked out of the hospital without her and our family was never the same. Five years hits hard and different for some reason that I can’t really pinpoint. What I do know is that we still miss and think of her so often and the she will always be a part of us. We will never stop wishing she was here with us while trusting that God’s plan was to take her home. In our grief, we have learned to embrace the both and the and. Both pain and hope. Both joy and sorrow. Both confusion and trust. Both missing her and moving forward. Both wishing it were different and honoring her. The same days that we spent 5 years ago standing vigil at her bedside after her drowning, I spent this week teaching kids skills they need to be safer in the water. I will continue to educate families on water safety and honor her the best way I know how. Kam girl- I can’t believe it’s been 5 years without you. Thinking of you extra today. A day that broke us all, but a day you became perfect and whole. Happy Heaven going day baby girl. I love and miss you. 🩷

After some rain and lightning delays, we wrapped up another session at I Kam Swim. What a great group of swimmers! They were all so eager to learn, and I love that as a teacher! One strengthed their skills and by the end of the week could swim the width of the pool, one learned swim-float-swim, one learned to swim without holding their nose, a couple of them learned and built skills for open water situations. So proud of these swimmers who soaked up all that they learned! Way to go!

Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads!

This is SG. He and his Mom were at the pool with my sister-in-law and nieces the day of Kameryn’s fatal drowning. Even though he was just a baby, he was affected. His Mama got him into ISR and he learned how to save himself. Even though he had the skills he needed in the water, he was still terrified. And it was not because of ISR. I believe it was because of the trauma that he and his Mom and brother experienced that day. No matter how old you are, traumatic events such as that day change you. Now, at age 6, when SG would go into a pool, he would not swim. He would sit on the side or a step in a life jacket and that was the only way he felt comfortable. His Mama knew it was time to try lessons, and signed him up with me. She let me know of his fear and together, we faced it head on. Gently, but persistently. On the first day, when I brought him into the water, he shook and shook. The fear was real. But I stayed committed. And more importantly, so did he. Little by little, we worked together to get him comfortable in the water. He was no longer shaking when he was in the pool. Before we knew it, his face was in, and by the 4th day- he was in swim position and kicking. On the last day he was not only swimming, but going to the bottom to get toys and bring them up. Beauty came from ashes and my pool felt like sacred ground. Proud seems too measly to describe how I feel for and of this sweet boy. He worked so hard and he did it. He conquered his fear. He is happy in the water. He is enjoying the water. He’s confident in the water. And he’s proud of himself. I’ve tried to find words for the honor and joy that I feel to get to be a part of this beautiful transformation and I just can’t. I just know it was healing for both of us. And I am grateful. Swim lessons save lives y’all. And I’m learning they change lives too.

We completed another session at I Kam Swim! What an a exceptionally sweet week as all but one of these students were returning for their second or third time with me! And the one who swam with me for the first time is a super special kid. It is so gratifying to see these swimmers build and improve their skills in the water. I’m so proud of all of them!

Libby learned “ice cream scoop” arms this week. As we practiced arms and talked about our favorite flavors, I told her that mine was mint chocolate chip. Today, she and her sweet Mama brought me mint chocolate chip ice cream and flowers for our last day. So thoughtful!! Thank you sweet Libby and Julie! I can’t wait to “dive” into the ice cream! 🍨 💐

This week is full of returning swimmers! 🏊‍♀️
Makes me so happy 🥰

On this last day of water safety month, here's what I want you to know most of all…

DROWNING CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE AT ANY TIME. It does not discriminate. It doesn’t care if it’s the right time or place. It most certainly does not lurk around the corner waiting for a "bad" parent or children that no one cares about.
It's the thing that you think can never happen to you or your family. Until it does. And you find yourself staring at your niece in a hospital bed wishing things were different, begging God to turn things around, and telling another family member "this is the kind of stuff you hear about that happens to other people." Your worst nightmare becomes your reality and in one split second, your life is changed. Forever.

Here’s what else I want you to know: From the second she was born, Kameryn was absoultey and completely adored by all family members and friends in her life. As the baby of the family, she was deeply loved and immensely doted over by all of us. There’s no question that she was cared about. Her drowning happened at a *country club.* In the 3 weeks prior to Kameryn’s drowning, a former professional football player who now also lives in our town, and a well known country artist who lives 2 hours away, each lost a child to drowning. Children who were greatly loved. Children of good parents. See, drowning doesn’t care about your demographic, your financial status, or your skin color. No one is exempt from drowning.

So I ask you to think twice if you think drowning can never happen to you. Sadly, when it comes to drowning, I have seen and heard too many comments from people saying "If parents would do their job, this wouldn't happen." Or "I would never let my child out of my sight." I've seen and heard comments shaming and/or condemning parents for "letting a drowning happen." When instead, what is needed most is empathy, compassion, and prayers. Not only is this completly unrealistic to think that your child could never drown, it is honestly quite maddening and downright scary for any parent to think they are immune from drowning happening to their child. Even if a perfect parent existed, (spoiler alert: they don't!) no one. I repeat no one, is capable of keeping eyes on their child 100% of the time. So on this last day of water safety month, I want you to look at Kameryn's sweet face. I want to you to remember our our family who will never be the same without her. I don’t want you to say or think “I would never…” or “my child would never…” I want you to be aware of the realities of drowning. I want you to know and put into practice the 5 layers of protection for water safety. And stay vigilant. Until the number of drowning deaths in children is zero.

As promised- a follow up about flotation devices. I can’t say it better than this sweet Mama Christi of Judah Brown Project. She has lived first hand- the effects of overuse and over confidence with puddle jumpers. Please take time to read her words. Christi Brown you are brave and I thank you for enlightening us with this vital information.

The 5th and final layer of water safety is 🟠life jackets! 🟠
Properly fitting life jackets have their place in water safety. Most especially in open water, boating, or when other layers break down.
From the National Drowning Prevention Alliance: “Because supervision can never be perfect, life jackets can also be an important layer of protection for children who lack water competency or when other layers of protection are not in place. Caregivers should not overly use flotation devices in swimming pools and never use as a replacement for practicing touch-supervision or gaining water competency. There is no evidence that life jackets alone can teach a child to swim.”
Please visit the NDPA website to learn more about when and when not to use a life jacket.
https://ndpa.org/life-jackets/

🔸tomorrow I will share about overuse of flotation devices and how/why it’s problematic. Make sure to check back!

Another session completed at I Kam Swim! These swimmers found their bravery and confidence this week and it was a joy to be a part of. I’m so proud of them!!

At the end of swim sessions, I have been giving parents water safety information, including water watcher tags. I was so delighted today when I attended a pool party that some of my former swimmers were also at and a parent had her
💦👀 water watcher👀💦tag!
She was ready to be vigilant with lots of swimmers in the pool. She told me she also used it the weekend before when swimming at her parents house with family! Makes me so happy to see these water safety tools being put to use!! ☺️

Water Safety month continues with another one of the 5️⃣ layers of water safety protection. That layer is
🚨EMERGENCY PREPARATION🚨

This includes having a phone pool side, learning and knowing CPR, and having water safety and rescue equipment.

In the event of an emergency, having a plan in place helps you know exactly what to do.

Check out these graphics from National Drowning Prevention Alliance and learn more about emergency preparedness at
https://ndpa.org/emergency-preparation/

Another session completed at I Kam Swim! 🏊‍♀️ 🩷
Watching these swimmers be so brave inspired me so much. I’m so proud of them! Way to go swimmers!

Water Safety month continues with another one of the 5️⃣ layers of water safety protection. That layer is
👀 SUPERVISION 👀
Supervision is NOT: being on your phone while kids are swimming, being engaged in a conversation while kids are swimming, or being more than an arms length away from swimmers.

Supervision should be ACTIVE. Designating a water watcher for active and constant supervision is an excellent layer of protection against drowning!

Download your water watcher card, and click on these graphics on the website to learn more!
https://ndpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/NDPA-WaterWatcherCard-SelfPrint.pdf

We had to work around some scheduling issues and rain, but we did it! We completed our first session at I Kam Swim! 🏊‍♀️🩷
Swimmers learned new water safety skills, others pushed forward even when it was scary. Some built their swimming skills for a second year. I’m so proud of all of them!
What a great group of swimmers to officially kick off our season!

Happy Mother’s Day from I Kam Swim!

When you swim with your twin… your swimsuits must twin ☺️👦🏻👧💙🩷

Water Safety month continues with another one of the 5️⃣ layers of water safety protection. That layer is
🚧barriers and alarms. 🚨
Barriers such as pool fencing with a proper latch helps keep wandering children and unauthorized adults from getting into the pool.
Doors and windows leading to the pool should have alarms on them. There are even apps that work with these alarms!
Go to https://ndpa.org/barriers/
to learn more about proper pool barriers and alarms.