BY TERI R. WILLIAMS | PHOTOS BY DAPHNE WALKER
Swim
Ready
With drowning incidences rising among
children under fourteen, Maggie Barr at
Meadows Wellness Center is determined
to empower parents and their kids through
swim education and instruction.
Y
ou might be wondering, Why an article on swimming in the fall/
winter issue of the Toombs County Magazine? The answer is twofold.
First, before our spring/summer issue hits the stands, pools will
already have been opened and family beach trips taken. Second,
although private lessons are available year-round, Meadows Wellness
Center infant/child swimming classes officially begin in April, and
Maggie Barr wants us all to have plenty of time to get our children and
grandchildren signed up. But the most important reason of all is that
drowning has no season.
According to the CDC, drowning is the second leading cause
of death for children fourteen and under, and the first for children
four and under. These statistics are not given to scare parents, but to
educate and empower them in order to change these numbers. Unlike
other causes, many incidences of drowning could have been prevented
by education and instruction. Maggie’s goal is to provide both to as
many as possible.
Maggie’s love for the water began early. By the age of seven, she
was swimming with the Vidalia Recreation Department’s swim team.
In the sixth grade, she began training with the USA Blue Dolphins
swim team in Hazlehurst and participated with them in competitions
at Georgia Tech. By the age of thirteen, she was a state winner placing
first in her age group in the 100-meter IM (individual medley), which
involves using all four competitive strokes: butterfly, backstroke,
breaststroke and freestyle, in that order.
The year 2013 was also the year Maggie was diagnosed with
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). According to
a website for Cleveland Clinic, POTS is “a condition that affects
circulation (blood flow). It involves the autonomic nervous system
(which automatically controls and regulates vital bodily functions)
and sympathetic nervous system (which activates the fight or flight
response).”
102 TOOMBS COUNTY MAGAZINE