GOSHEN COUNTY – It’s officially summer in Goshen County. To many of us, that means it is also the time of the year when we are simply trying to beat the heat. With both the Dale Jones Municipal Pool open in Torrington and the Lingle Pool open in Lingle, many residents find refuge from the scorching temperatures in the cool waters of our public pools. According to a recent article from CNN, the color of your child’s swimsuit could impact their safety at pools and Goshen County Public Health nurse Manon Strong wants the community to take the extra step and buy children brightly colored swimsuits. 

“The last few days, I went to the pool in Lingle and I went to the pool here (Torrington),” Strong said. “I gave them a copy of this article and told them to encourage brightly colored swimsuits to the parents bringing them (children) in. That is such a small thing to do for safety,” Strong said.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), drowning is the number one cause of death among children ages one to four.

“Drowning is the number one cause of death in children aged one to four,” AAP said. “But research shows that teaching them to swim early in life is a key layer of prevention that can help avoid tragedies around water. Swimming is the only sport that can save lives.”

According to CNN, Alive Solutions, a company which specializes in water safety, has found in two separate experiments certain swimsuit colors are easier to spot in a swimming pool or clear-water lake. 

“In tests, the company’s water safety experts placed swimsuits of various colors in swimming pools and lakes to determine how visible they may be,” CNN said. 

According to CNN, the company tested 14 different colors stating water is not like air and even the tiniest bit of surface agitation, glare, or movement in the water can cause people to become distorted. 

“In a swimming pool, with a light-colored bottom, the company’s tests showed that neon pink and neon orange appeared to be the most visible,” CNN explained. “Darker colors showed up against the light blue pool bottom, but could often be dismissed for shadows, leaves, or dirt. White and light blue swimsuits were not as visible and seemed to disappear completely in the pool.” 

The study was also conducted in lake water.

“In 18 inches of lake water, the tests showed that bright neon colors, including neon orange, yellow, and green, were most visible against the lake bottom, but neon pink did not perform well,” CNN explained. “White swimsuits appeared more due to reflecting light, but not as much as bright neon colors. All colors were not very visible.” 

The study indicated neon swimsuit colors won for visibility in all environments. With statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicating drowning data rates are increasing, many professionals, such as Strong, recommend swimming lessons for children.  

“The new numbers show that more than 4,500 people drowned each year between 2020 and 2022, which is about 500 more drowning deaths each year compared with the previous year in 2019,” CNN said. “Children especially are at high risk, as drowning is the number one cause of death for children one to four years old in the United States.”

“But some studies have shown that participating in formal swimming lessons is associated with an 88% reduced risk of drowning in young children, said Chris DeJong, founder and president of Big Blue Swim School, which offers swimming lessons to children.” 

Swimming lessons are a great way to prevent accidental drownings and both Lingle and Torrington pools offer lessons to the community. 

“Swimming is the first sport a child should learn, and I totally agree with that,” Strong said referring to the article from AAP. “The second point she made is that swimming is the only sport that saves lives and I thought, she’s right, either yourself or someone else’s. What she didn’t add in the article, which I wish she would have is that swimming can be a lifetime sport,” Strong added. 

According to research Strong has done, swimming lessons can be taught as young as 12 months. 

The Dale Jones Municipal Pool will have swimming lessons from July 8 to July 12, July 15 to July 19, July 22 to July 26, and July 29 to August 2 for information on Lingle Pool lessons, please contact the Lingle Town Hall at (307) 837-2422.