Maggie is certified to train all the Meadow’s Wellness Center
swimming instructors, which is an annual recertification. “They are
also required to have eight hours of critiqued training every month,
even in the off season, to keep their certification.”
Because instructors have to be recertified each year, they are kept
up-to-date on any guideline changes. “In my last training session,” said
Maggie, “I learned that two teaching techniques I was taught in 2017
have changed. We now have alternate teaching techniques for these
skills to prevent dry drowning and/or secondary drowning.”
According to an article for webmd.com by Amanda Gardner,
“With so-called dry drowning, water never reaches the lungs. Instead,
breathing in water causes your child's vocal cords to spasm and close
up. That shuts off his airways, making it hard to breathe. You would
start to notice those signs right away -- it wouldn’t happen out of the
blue days later.”
Secondary drowning, according to Gardner, “happens if water
gets into the lungs. There, it can irritate the lungs’ lining and fluid can
build up, causing a condition called pulmonary edema. You’d likely
notice your child having trouble breathing right away, and it might get
worse over the next 24 hours.” Symptoms include coughing, trouble
Maggie not only
coordinates
swimming
lessons at
Meadows
Wellness Center,
she also trains
and certifies
the other swim
instructors as
Starfish Aquatics
Institute Trainer
Instructors.
HOMETOWN LIVING AT I TS BEST 105
/webmd.com