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host location kit General Overview Congratulations! You’re on the way to becoming a Guinness World RecordTM holder while you make a great contribution to support drowning prevention. We truly appreciate your enthusiasm and commitment to help support The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson TM as an official Host Location. As you know, drowning is the second leading cause of unintended, injury-related death for children ages 1-14, and a leading cause of death for children ages 1-5. Drowning can and should be prevented and the WLSL Team has the power to make that happen. What we need to do is make NOISE to let people know how fundamentally important it is to teach kids to swim. That’s what the WLSL program is all about. Thanks to our official Host Locations, we’ve had tremendous success. The 2014 WLSL event set a new Guinness World RecordTM for the largest simultaneous swimming lesson ever conducted when 36,564 kids and adults representing 22 countries participated last June. Television, newspaper, radio and online coverage of the event generated more than 50 million media impressions sending the message that Swimming Lessons Save Lives™ message to millions more. With your help, we’ll make our sixth attempt our best ever! We recognize the extra work you’re taking on to make this event happen. We hope the information and materials that follow provide all you need to host an amazing event in your local market. As you review the Host Location Kit, don’t hesitate to ask questions or let us know how we can be of assistance. We’re looking forward to another great event in our 6th year of going after a new world record! With your help, someday soon, families will recognize that teaching our kids how to swim is as fundamental to their safety as car seats and bike helmets. Just think about how many lives we can save working together to tell the WLSL story. Amazing, isn’t it? GO TEAM WLSL! 1 WLSL Program Overview Have fun with the fact that your facility and all the kids and adults that participate at your event will be World Record Holders! The purpose of the WLSL event is to get people talking about how fundamentally important it is to teach kids to swim to prevent drowning. Promoting and publicizing your local WLSL event will be key to the success of the program on the local and national level. Review the Event Checklist on pages 4 and 5 to help you set up your plan for promoting the event and hosting a great event on June 18th! The WLSL program offers a wide variety of marketing and promotion materials to support your efforts and help tell the WLSL story which are highlighted in the following pages. All marketing materials may be downloaded from the Host Location Materials page on the www.wlsl.org website. Kudos To Our 4 & 5 Year Supporters! Our thanks go out to those Host Locations that have been part of Team WLSL since the beginning of this fantastic event. Your support has helped us get to the point we are today! 5 Year Host Locations: Aqua Culture Swim School Aqua Pros Swim School Aquatica Orlando Aquatica San Antonio Blue Buoy Swim School Breakwater Beach Waterpark Chesapeake Beach Water Park Clearfield Aquatic Center CoCo Key Hotel & Resort Orlando Hyland Hills Water World Gulf Islands Waterpark Lulu Cisneros Educacion Acuatica Colinas NRH20 Family Water Park Palm Bay Aquatic Center Rock River Rapids Splash! La Mirada Aquatic Center Water Country USA Wild Wadi Water Park 4 Year Host Locations: Academia Via Esporte Academia Vía Aqua Bolha D’ Aqua Academia Natacao & CIA Anv Interlomas Anv La Loma Anv Leon Anv Linda Vista Anv Puebla Anv Queretaro Anv San Jeronimo Anv Satellite Avera Sacred Heart Wellness Center Charlotte Aquatics Chatham County Aquatic Center Chris Lyle Aquatic Center City of Sumter Aquatic Center Cunningham Pool Litchfield Park Aquatic Center Loma Verde Family Aquatic Center Northwest Rec Center (Dabney Pool) Olimpus Centro Acuatico Quality Swim Ross JCC Boynton Beach Sandcastle Waterpark Schlitterbahn Waterpark New Braunfels Schlitterbahn Waterpark Galveston Island Schlitterbahn Waterpark Kansas City South Davis Rec Center Splash Montana Steve Lindquist Aquatic Center Sutton Swim School Sun Country Sports Center Sunny Days Swim School SwimKids-Gainesville Swimkids-Woodbridge The Swim Academy Weston Thomas Sasso Pool Wet-N-Wild Waterworld 2 Table of Contents General Overview Key Event Dates & Checklist.................................................................................................................................. 4 Web and Print Materials Logos................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Snipes.................................................................................................................................................................. 7 Web banners........................................................................................................................................................ 8 Water safety web banners...................................................................................................................................10 Posters................................................................................................................................................................11 Flyers..................................................................................................................................................................12 Rack card............................................................................................................................................................14 WLSL counter-top brochure..................................................................................................................................15 Ads.....................................................................................................................................................................16 Signage and Event Materials Teardrop flags.....................................................................................................................................................17 Banners..............................................................................................................................................................18 Yard signs...........................................................................................................................................................19 Recognition certificates....................................................................................................................................... 20 Official WLSL gear...............................................................................................................................................21 WLSL Lesson Overview WLSL lesson preparation & organization tips...................................................................................................... 22 GWR logo usage................................................................................................................................................. 22 WLSL lesson plan................................................................................................................................................24 WLSL Host Location Guinness World Record ™ (GWR) Submission Guidelines for Facilities Hosting Fewer Than 100 Participants Host location guidelines, required and optional materials for fewer than 100 participants......................................... 25 Witness of a GWR Attempt – Statement............................................................................................................... 27 WLSL Host Location Guinness World Record ™ (GWR) Submission Guidelines for Facilities Hosting More Than 100 Participants Host location guidelines, required and optional materials for more than 100 participants.......................................... 29 Witness of a GWR Attempt – Statement................................................................................................................31 Steward of a GWR Attempt – Statement.............................................................................................................. 33 WLSL Host Location Guinness World Record ™ (GWR) Submission Guidelines For Single Venue Record Host location guidelines, required and optionals materials for a single venue record attempt...............................................35 Witness of a GWR Attempt – Statement............................................................................................................... 38 Steward of a GWR Attempt – Statement.............................................................................................................. 40 WLSL Public Relations Overview General tips for communicating with the media.................................................................................................. 42 WLSL key message points................................................................................................................................... 43 WLSL press releases........................................................................................................................................... 43 Distributing your WLSL press release.................................................................................................................. 45 WLSL press release template.............................................................................................................................. 46 WLSL media advisory template............................................................................................................................47 WLSL social media opportunities........................................................................................................................ 48 Facts about water safety and drowning prevention.............................................................................................. 49 WLSL water safety tips........................................................................................................................................ 50 WLSL supporting organizations............................................................................................................................51 3 Key Event Dates & Checklist Thursday (4/16/15) – Advance Event Preparation • • • • • • • Update or develop your media list including contact info and deadlines for local media and community calendars. Determine who will work the event and decide if you’ll need to recruit volunteer help including instructors. Partnering with your local swim school, YMCA or Red Cross chapter is a great way to build your program and involve other local entities. Determine what equipment you’ll need onsite for the event such as a table for participant registration, clip boards, pens, podium or microphone for your instructors, signs for parking, etc. Determine who will serve as witnesses and/or stewards for your event. You’ll need to submit two witness letters to qualify your location’s participation. Call or send letters of request to those you’ve selected. See pages 25-34 for more information on witnesses and stewards. Review the WLSL promotional materials and determine how you will use them to market and promote your WLSL event in your community. Customize and print posters and fliers. Post a WLSL banner on your website. Wednesday (5/6/15) – Distribute Your First Local Market Press Release We recommend sending your first press release well before the Memorial Day holiday to position your WLSL event as a culminating event for National Water Safety Month in May and to increase the likelihood your event will be included in upcoming Memorial Day weekend/beginning of summer news stories. Friday (5/8/15) – Increase Your WLSL Promotion Efforts • • • Put up WLSL posters at grocery stores, coffee shops, bookstores, recreation centers and on other community bulletin boards. Distribute WLSL fliers through your local sporting goods stores. Send an email blast to customers, members and season pass holders. • All host locations that registered, paid and submitted their release forms by this date will receive a shipment of 25 wristbands to the shipping address provided. Friday (5/15/15) – International Water Safety Day Leverage this international day recognizing water safety to recruit local participation in your WLSL lesson. Visit Internationalwatersafetyday.org to learn more. Let your local media know the WLSL event is just one month away! Sunday (5/17/15) – Find Local Partners In Your Area Check the WLSL website to see if there are other facilities in your community that are participating, and if so, reach out and discuss how you can work together to get the most out of the WLSL event in your market. Monday (5/18/15) – Suggested WLSL Event Team Meetings We know this is a tough time of year and getting volunteers and seasonal staff together will be tricky. If possible, we recommend getting together with all the staff and volunteers you’ve recruited for your WLSL event to walk through the schedule and review responsibilities. Be sure to discuss timing, your participant registration process and any special elements you have planned for your facility. 4 Key Event Dates & Checklist continued Tuesday (5/19/15) – Pre Memorial Day Press Release National WLSL press release distributed through PR Newswire. Distribute an updated press release to your local media to capitalize on media coverage surrounding the Memorial Day holiday. Monday (5/25/15) – Memorial Day Holiday Friday (5/29/15) – Staff, Instructor, Volunteer Run-Through • We recommend bringing together your WLSL team one additional time prior to the big day to do a final walk-through of the participant registration and sign-in process, staging for instructors and any details that will help ensure an exact start time for your lesson. • Look for your shipment of 25 wristbands to arrive that are included in your registration fee (Your registration must be paid by 5/8/2015 to have your wristbands shipped.) In 2015, for groups of 3 or more facilities we are sending a maximum of 75 wristbands. Consider ordering more from our product partner, Water Safety Products,1-800-987-7238, if you know you are hosting a larger event. See page 21 for more details. Friday (6/5/15) – Registration Officially Closes At the end of the day, online registration will close to new host location sign ups. If you have already completed the registration process, then you many disregard this date. Friday (6/12/15) – Media Invitations Distributed Distribute WLSL media advisories to local market press to promote onsite photo and video opportunities available at your facility the day of the WLSL event. Thursday (6/18/15) – World’s Largest Swimming LessonTM Day! All WLSL lessons must start at 10 a.m. wherever you are! GO WLSL TEAM! Don’t forget to Tweet updates and post photos of your event on the WLSL Facebook page today. After all, we’re setting a NEW WORLD RECORD! Tuesday (6/30/15) – POSTMARK DEADLINE for submitting WLSL participant counts and required Guinness World Record TM reporting materials. NOTE: To be included in the official Guinness World Record TM submission, all qualification materials (two witness letters, participant log sheets, still photos and any other required and optional materials) must be postmarked to WLSL Record Submissions by Tuesday, June 30th. 5 Logos We encourage you to use the The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson TM logo to help promote the WLSL event in your local community. The WLSL logo is provided in three different layouts to provide as many options as possible for individual facility design needs. Samples of the logo variations are shown here. All WLSL logos are available for download from the Host Location Materials page on www.wlsl.org. 6 Register Today! ea m o c Be record d worl eaker! Br Become a World Record Holder! d l r o W cord re eaker Br me a Beco june 15 18, 20 Snipes Snipes or bug graphics can be used anywhere to promote your WLSL event. Add a WLSL Record Breaker bug to your swimming lesson flyer, special event calendar, newsletter or brochure. The following designs can be downloaded from the Host Location Materials page on www.wlsl.org. 7 125 x 125 125 x 125 120 x 600 120 x 240 Web banners Build awareness about your facility’s WLSL event online. Use WLSL banners on your website; provide them to local sports, recreation and parenting blogs. Share them with radio stations and other media to leverage public service opportunities. The banners can be linked to the WLSL.org home page or directly to your website. GIF files of the above banners can be downloaded from the Host Location Materials page on www.wlsl.org. 8 Web banners continued 468 x 60 234 x 60 I'm A WLSL Supporter! Facebook badge WLSL 240 x 600 9 125 x 125 125 x 125 120 x 240 125 x 125 Water Safety Web Banners Build water safety awareness with web banner options that showcase targeted safety messages and promote key calls to action like supervising kids in the water, using life vests and learning to swim. GIF files can be downloaded from the Host Location Materials page on www.wlsl.org. 10 Drowning it’s the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1-5. it shouldn’t be. Join thousands of kids and families at aquatic facilities and waterparks around the globe for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ on June 18, 2015. We’re breaking the Guinness World Record™ to spread the word that Swimming Lessons Save Lives.™ U IT ED S TAT ES N EST’D I SS SW N 1988 M S CH OOL A For more information, visit wLSL.org © 2015 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson Join thousands of kids and families at aquatic facilities and waterparks around the globe for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ on June 18, 2015. We’re breaking the Guinness World Record™ to spread the word that Swimming Lessons Save Lives.™ U IT ED S TAT ES N EST’D I Posters SS SW N 1988 M S CH OOL A For more information, visit WLSL.org © 2015 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson The WLSL posters are 18 x 24 inches and can be printed as is or customized with your local facility information. A variety of designs can be downloaded from the Host Location Materials page on www.wlsl.org. 11 Drowning it’s the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1-5. Drowning it’s the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1- 5. it shouldn’t be. it shouldn’t be. Join thousands of kids and families at aquatic facilities and waterparks around the globe for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ on June 18, 2015. We’re breaking the Guinness World Record™ to spread the word that Swimming Lessons Save Lives.™ N U A For more information, visit wLSL.org © 2015 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson Join thousands of kids and families at aquatic facilities and waterparks around the globe for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ on June 18, 2015. We’re breaking the Guinness World Record™ to spread the word that Swimming Lessons Save Lives.™ Don’t miss the chance to participate in this record-breaking event and help prevent drowning, the leading cause of injury-related death of children ages 1-5. U IT ED S TAT ES N EST’D I SS SW N 1988 M S CH OOL ED S TAT N 1988 M I I SS N SW SW S CH OOL IT EST’D 1988 M A SS U ED S TAT EST’D ES IT ES N Join thousands of kids and families at aquatic facilities and waterparks around the globe for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ on June 18, 2015. We’re breaking the Guinness World Record™ to spread the word that Swimming Lessons Save Lives.™ S CH OOL A For more information, visit wLSL.org Join thousands of kids and families at aquatic facilities and waterparks around the globe for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ on June 18, 2015. We’re breaking the Guinness World Record™ to spread the word that Swimming Lessons Save Lives.™ Don’t miss the chance to participate in this record-breaking event and help prevent drowning, the leading cause of injury-related death of children ages 1-5. U IT ED S TAT ES N EST’D N 1988 I M © 2015 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson SS SW For more information, visit WLSL.org © 2015 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson S CH OOL A For more information, visit WLSL.org © 2015 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson Flyers The WLSL flyers are 8.5 x 11 inches and can be printed as is or customized with your local facility information. A variety of designs can be downloaded from the Host Location Materials page on www.wlsl.org. 12 Flyers continued Join the WLSL Team and Help Us Set A New World Record to Spread the Word – Swimming Lessons Save Lives!™ (Your f acility’s name) is a registered WLSL Host Location for the world record attempt for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson. ™ What: Join us, along with kids and parents at aquatic facilities across the country and around the globe as we set a new Guinness World Record™ for the largest swimming lesson in 24 hours ever conducted, to spread the word Swimming Lessons Save Lives!™ Where: When: Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 10 a.m. Registration begins at (time that you want individuals to arrive at your facility to go through registration and sign in process.) Please note the Guinness World Record™ attempt begins precisely at 10 a.m.(your Everyone participating in the record attempt must be registered, in position and ready to begin the lesson well before the official start time for the lesson. For more information go to WLSL.org or contact: 13 Set a Record – Save a Life Thursday, June 18, 2015 Join thousands of kids and families at aquatic facilities and waterparks around the globe for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson.™ We’re breaking the Guinness World Record™ to spread the word that Swimming Lessons Save Lives.™ For more information go to: WLSL.org © 2015 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson Rack card The WLSL rack card is 4 x 9 inches and can be customized on the back. This file can be downloaded from the Host Location Materials page on www.wlsl.org. 14 Make a difference June 20th DROWNING It’s the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1- 5. it shouldn’t be. it’s the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1-5. It shouldn’t be. Drowning Front Join us for the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson, become a World Record Holder and help put an end to childhood drowning. June 18, 2015 Make a difference June 18th wLSL.org Inside Back WLSL Counter-Top Brochure This small, folded brochure is 4 x 3.5 and folds to 2 x 3.5 finished size. It is perfect for placing on counter-tops at local supermarkets, gas stations, health clubs, community centers, libraries and many other places where people stop and see information. Artwork for this piece can be downloaded from the Host Location Materials page on www.wlsl.org. 15 Join thousands of kids and families at aquatic facilities and waterparks around the globe for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ on June 18, 2015. We’re breaking the Guinness World Record™ to spread the word that Swimming Lessons Save Lives.™ Don’t miss the chance to participate in this record-breaking event and help prevent drowning, the leading cause of injury-related death of children ages 1-5. For more information, visit WLSL.org © 2015 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson Ads The WLSL ad is 4.5 x 5.75 inches and is available in color and black and white. It is ready to distribute to local newspapers, Penny Savers, magazines and other print publications. It is available to download from the Host Location Materials page on www.wlsl.org. 16 Teardrop Flags The WLSL teardrop flags are available in two designs (shown above) and may be ordered through your local vendor. Or a previous version is available through our merchandise sponsor Water Safety Products. See page 21 for more information. 17 Banners Two WLSL banner designs, one vertical 3x5 foot and one horizontal 5x3 foot, are available. Banners can be used to build excitement and provide a backdrop for photos indoors and out in advance of and during the event. They are available to download from the Host Location Materials page on www.wlsl.org. 18 Your logo here Become a World Record Holder! Media Become a World Record Holder! June 18, 2015 Check-in Parking Yard Signs A variety of yard signage is available to promote the event in your community, as well as day-of-event signage to direct lesson participants and media at your facility. These files can be downloaded from the Host Location Materials page on www.wlsl.org. 19 Congratulation s! THIS CERTIFIES THAT YOU HELPED SET A NEW WORLD RECORD FOR THE WORLD'S LARGEST SWIMMING LESSON June 18, 2015 Official Team Member Helping Spread the Word – Swimming Lessons Save Lives!TM Congratulation s! THIS CERTIFIES THAT HELPED SET A NEW WORLD RECORD FOR THE WORLD'S LARGEST SWIMMING LESSON June 18, 2015 Official Team Member WLSL Host Facility Helping Spread the Word – Swimming Lessons Save Lives!TM Recognition Certificates WLSL is a very special world-record-setting event and we ask that every participant take home a WLSL World Record Holder Certificate of Achievement as a thank you and remembrance of what we accomplished. Two versions of the 2015 certificate are provided – a generic one that can be printed en mass and distributed the day of the event and a version that includes lines to fill in the name of your facility and the individual participant. PDFs can be downloaded from the Host Location Materials page on www.wlsl.org. 20 Official WLSL Gear Adult WLSL Drowning is Preventable Moisture Wicking T-shirt SKU: 833-WLSL Price: $20.00 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson Women’s Moisture Wicking Sport Polo SKU: 5092-WLSL Price: $38.50 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson Men’s Moisture Wicking Sport Polo SKU: 5091-WLSL Price: $38.50 Quantity Pricing: 1-5$38.50 6+$35.00 Quantity Pricing: 1-5$38.50 6+$35.00 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson Womens Performance Pique (also available in orange) SKU: 12346-WLSL Price: $39.50 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson Men’s Dry Excel Performance Pique (also available in orange) SKU: 12446-WLSL Price: $39.50 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson Raglan Jacket SKU: JST60 Price: $26.00 Quantity Pricing: 1-5$39.50 6+$36.00 Quantity Pricing: 1-5$39.50 6+$36.00 Adult World’s Largest Swimming Lesson T-Shirt SKU: 808-WLSL Price: $15.00 Youth World’s Largest Swimming Lesson T-Shirt SKU: 808-WLSL-Y Price: $12.00 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson Flex Hat SKU: 315FF-WLSL Price: $15.00 Ladies’ World’s Largest Swimming Lesson Board Short SKU: 912-WLSL Price: $21.25 Men’s World’s Largest Swimming Lesson Board Short SKU: 922-WLSL Price: $28.50 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson Thin Strap Swimsuit SKU: 909-WLSL Price: $36.00 Quantity Pricing: 1-12$21.25 13-60$19.00 61-120$16.00 121+$14.50 Quantity Pricing: 1-12$28.50 13-60$26.50 61-120$22.50 121+$19.50 Quantity Pricing: 1-12$36.00 13-59$30.00 60-120$26.50 121+$22.50 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson Khaki Microfiber Short for Women SKU: 913-WLSL Price: $23.00 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson Khaki Microfiber Short for Men SKU: 922W-WLSL Price: $30.50 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson 20 oz. Water Bottle SKU: 294-WLSL Price: $3.00 Quantity Pricing: 1-12$23.00 13-60$21.00 61-120$18.00 121+$16.50 Quantity Pricing: 1-12$30.50 13-60$28.50 61-120$24.50 121+$21.50 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson 8’ Teardrop Flag SKU: 0040 Price: $175.00 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson Wristband SKU: WLSL-BAND Price: $.50 Quantity Pricing: 1-5$175.00 6+$145.00 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson Ribbon SKU: 20008 Price: $.75 Quantity Pricing: 1-49$.75 50+$.60 Cross base with water bag SKU: 0041 Price: $39.00 Quantity Pricing: 1-5$39.00 6+$35.00 Official WLSL Gear is available through our official sponsor Water Safety Products! Grab a variety of WLSL shirts, hats and water bottles to sell or provide as incentives, prizes and appreciation gifts for participants, instructors, staff and volunteers. All merchandise can be purchased online from Water Safety Products: www.watersafety.com/wlsl. Prices listed here are merely a sample and may change at any time. 21 WLSL Lesson Overview & Curriculum The WLSL lesson covers key messages about how to be safe in and around the water and fundamental skills for beginning swimmers that can be practiced by a wide variety of students. Keep in mind that the WLSL event was designed to be a promotional tool to build awareness about the importance of teaching kids to swim. The goal is to have broad-based participation, set a new world record and generate media attention. The WLSL lesson is structured so that it can be successfully adapted/ implemented by a wide variety of participating facilities, allowing all locations to meet these objectives and comply with the Guinness World Record ™ Several New 2015 criteria include: • NEW for 2015: WLSL lessons must take place at 10 a.m. wherever you are. This means everyone involved in your event (instructors, participants, volunteers, etc.) must be poolside and ready to begin the lesson precisely at this time. Guinness requires that you begin and end the record attempt with a whistle, shot or starter signal that can be easily heard by all participants. • NEW for 2015: Your WLSL lesson must last at least 30 minutes and be timed with stop watches accurate to .01 second. A free online stopwatch is available at www.online-stopwatch.com. This is accurate to .01 second and is approved by Guinness to use. Witnesses should be in charge of timekeeping and use of the stopwatches. • NEW for 2015: On the witness statement the witness needs to circle Yes they are aware of all the guidelines. Before the event, go over with the witnesses that there are 4 guidelines for the event. 1. There is a minimum of 25 participants. 2. All entrances and exits must be clearly marked and controlled to note anyone not completing the lesson. 3. Acceptable counting methods must be used (turnstile, clickers, barcode ticketing, ticket stubs or wristbands) 4. Photographs must be taken to document the lesson. • NEW for 2015: On the witness letter there is a section for the witness to write in their own words what they saw during the lesson, how • • • • • • many participants, that stopwatches were used, that there was a signal to start and end the lesson, that all were participating to the best of their ability, etc. DO NOT LET THE WITNESSES SKIP THIS SECTION. If left blank, Guinness will not count your facility number in the record attempt. All individual participants, including instructors and supporting staff will need to sign in on an official WLSL Log Book Sheet PRIOR to the start of the lesson. (WLSL log book sheet templates for small, medium and large events are provided on the Host Location Materials page.) Each Log Book sheet requires one witness initials. This may take awhile depending on how many people are participating. Please be sure to plan accordingly so that everyone can sign in well in advance of your actual lesson start time—think in terms of the process used for a triathlon or 5K check-in. All participating facilities must teach the same lesson at 10 a.m. Your WLSL lesson must last at least 30 minutes. (The curriculum is designed to run 30 minutes.) Your WLSL lesson must be taught by a certified swimming instructor. Everyone participating in your WLSL lesson must be able to see/hear your instructors and be able to follow their direction. Everyone participating must complete the whole lesson to be counted as a participant for the world record. If someone drops out of the lesson before it ends, they can’t be included in your final participant count. Note: this does not mean that the participant needs to successfully perform a skill that you’ve taught, just that they participate in the whole lesson. Guinness World Records™ Logo Usage A note about use of the Guinness World Records™ logo— the GWR logo is a registered, licensed trademark and cannot be used without licensing. The Guinness World Record™ phrase may be used in the body copy of press releases about your participation in 22 the WLSL world record attempt without licensing, but may not be used in the headline of your release. The phrase Guinness World Record™ should always include the TM. WLSL Lesson Preparation and Organization Tips The more preparation you do in advance, the more smoothly your WLSL event will run. The following checklist will help you think through what arrangements need to be made to ensure you have a successful event on the big day. Pre-Lesson Preparation Check List: o Appropriate number of certified swimming instructors o Appropriate number of lifeguards o Appropriate number of first-aid personnel o Appropriate number of non-aquatic volunteers o Appropriate media support personnel o Appropriate shade available for participants and spectators o Appropriate spectator seating / viewing area o Media / dignitary area has been set aside o Designate photo-op locations with signage o Determine “off limits” areas and prepare signs/ barriers. All entrances and exits must be clearly marked and controlled o Gather needed instructional swimming / aquatic rescue equipment o Gather needed game equipment for lesson skills o Gather needed demonstration equipment for lesson skills o Create event day signage and develop location posting plan o Ensure guest flow plan complete o Prepare inclement weather plan (there will be no rain-date for the event) o Gather event supplies / equipment o Plan for registration tables & supplies o Gather retail / souvenirs supplies o Review food and beverage options o Gather event support equipment (PA, stanchions) Pre-Event Communication for Participants Your lesson participants need to be prepared too! Consider creating a flier or pre-event email to share information including: • What to wear, what to bring and what NOT to bring (floaties) • How on-site registration will work at your facility the day of the lesson • What time to arrive at your facility for an on-time lesson start • How long your registration process will take on June 18th The WLSL Lesson Plan Remember, learning to swim is a process, not a single day event. This one-time lesson event is designed to build awareness and teach beginners how to be safer in and around the water, not replace a longer, structured learn-toswim program. While many lesson participants will have already mastered the basic skills taught in this lesson (the lesson is open to swimmers of all skill levels), the WLSL event is still a great opportunity to teach and refresh skills that make everyone safer around the water. The WLSL lesson plan is designed so swimming instructors from different certifying organizations can utilize their individual backgrounds and presentation methods to engage and instruct lesson participants. The event must take place in a restricted area. You may certainly have this event in an open body of water but the area must be restricted. This means there must be an area adjacent to where the participants enter the water that is restricted so you can get an accurate count. This can be as simple as putting up caution tape or rope. The organizers in an open body of water attempt must ensure that everyone is counted before they enter the water. The official curriculum is broken down into individual skill areas that build upon each other and should be covered in sequence. In order to cover the full curriculum in the 30 minutes allotted, instructors must follow the suggested skills timeline. • Note: There is no specific requirement for a Student/ Instructor ratio. However, there must be adequate supervision by instructors and lifeguards to ensure everyone’s safety and to ensure that all participants can follow along and complete the lesson’s activities. SAFETY FIRST! Regardless of the number of participants or instructors involved, you must staff and implement your WLSL event in a manner that ensures the safety of all participants. 23 The WLSL Lesson Plan 10:00 a.m. Introduction of Event Guidelines, Lesson Objectives & Instructors 10:02 a.m. Safety – General Overview of Water Safety Awareness Messages and Key Skills 1. 2. 3. 4. Following posted safety rules and warnings Summoning help in aquatic emergencies Throwing & reaching assists Sun safety 10:05 a.m. Entry – Overview of Safe Entry into Water and a Review of Entry Hazards 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Stairs and ladders From the side – forward From the side – stomach Feet-first jump Shallow water dangers Deep water dangers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Blow bubbles Submerge face Open eyes underwater Shallow water bobbing Picking up objects under water 10:15 a.m. Floating – Teach Front / Back Floating Skills (Assisted or unassisted based on swimmer skill level) 10:08 a.m. Breathing / Submerging – Learn to Comfortably Submerge Face and Hold Breath Underwater 1. 2. 3. 4. Front float Back float Rolling front to back Calling for help Front glide Kicking at the wall or with a partner Rhythmic breathing at the wall or with a partner Alternating arm stroke while standing Front crawl stroke 10:22 a.m. Strokes – Teach Basic Locomotion and Stroke Component Skills 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 10:30 a.m. Lesson Concludes 24 WLSL Host Location Guinness World Record TM Submission Guidelines For Facilities Hosting Fewer Than 100 Participants We need help to ensure your facility’s participation is included in the WLSL Guinness World Record TM (GWR) submission and that our record attempt of more than 40,000 participants can be verified in a timely manner. Official Guinness World Record Submission Requirements For Facilities Hosting Fewer Than 100 Participants: Please note that there are new guidelines for 2015. To be counted in the official GWR attempt, all facilities will need to provide the following proof of participation. A. Original log sheets listing all WLSL participants, initialed by a witness. Send the original log sheets plus one copy of the log sheets B. Two independent witness statements. Send the original statements plus one copy of each C. Photos of your event q Log Book Sheets: To verify the total number of participants in The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson TM record attempt at all the different participating venues, Host Locations must register each lesson participant on an official WLSL log sheet on the day of the event. This log sheet shows proof of participation and also includes a liability and publicity release. To qualify for the Guinness World Record TM everyone participating in the WLSL lesson at your facility must sign the WLSL Participant Log Sheet. This includes all instructors and lesson helpers. One witness must also verify and initial each log sheet. We’ve provided WLSL Log Sheet templates as PDFs in three sizes: small (30 participants), medium (75 participants) and large (100+ participants), which can be downloaded from the Host Location Materials page on www.wlsl.org. qWitnesses: Each venue must retain two official witnesses that are NOT in any way affiliated with their park or facility. Each witness must complete the GWR Witness Statement form describing his or her personal witness of the event. The new form can be found on pages 27 & 28 and downloaded from the materials page at wlsl. org. A generic letter is no longer accepted by Guinness. q Still Photographs: Each venue is required to submit “original” photos of the event. They can be submitted in a digital format (CD-ROM or DVD), or as traditional photographic prints. Please send in 2 sets of your photos. The kind of pictures should be from various angles and ones taken at different stages of the event (start, during, end). Try to capture the action! Notes about Participant Count: •There MUST be a MINIMUM of 25 PARTICIPANTS in your lesson to be included in the Guinness World Record. Instructors and swimmers count – be sure all instructors and participating staff sign your log sheets. All participants must complete the full lesson to be included in the final count. •PLEASE NOTE – If you have MORE THAN 100 PARTICIPANTS, please skip ahead to page 29 for your guidelines. New For 2015! q Your WLSL lesson must last at least 30 minutes. The lesson must be timed with stopwatches accurate to .01 second. A free online stopwatch at www.online-stopwatch.com can be used and is accurate to .01 second. Any loud start and stop signal that is recognized by all participants must be used. 25 WLSL 2015 Record Submission Check List For Facilities Hosting Fewer Than 100 Participants Host Locations must send all submission materials via mail or over-night delivery. Shipments must be postmarked by Tuesday, June 30th. All Host Locations must provide the following: q Original official WLSL log sheets – each log sheet initialed by one of your witnesses q One copy of the official WLSL log sheets q Two original official WLSL witness statement forms completed by third party witnesses q One copy of both original official WLSL witness statement forms q 1-5 photos of your event – please submit two disks of event photos or 2 sets of the printed photos Optional Materials Please consider sending in additional materials including media coverage and video of your event to support the record submission and to be considered for publication in the Guinness World Record books, and other outlets promoting the WLSL event. Your materials make it possible for the WLSL Team to send the message Swimming Lessons Save LivesTM to millions! q Media Coverage: To confirm our WLSL record, we must submit media coverage of the event from newspapers, magazines or recordings of local television or radio reports featuring the successful event. If you secure press coverage in your local market, please submit that with your other materials. World Record Materials Postmark Submission Deadline: Tuesday, June 30th, 2015 All record submission materials must be postmarked to the following address no later than Tuesday, June 30, 2015. WLSL Host Facility World Record Materials Submission Claim #: 473151 C/o World Waterpark Association 8826 Santa Fe Drive, Suite 310 Overland Park, KS 66212 Submission of all items mentioned by the deadline indicated will ensure your venue’s inclusion in the final record submission. If you have any additional questions or concerns regarding the process, please email: [email protected]. Optional Materials: q Video Footage: We need 10 percent of host locations to provide video footage of the full 30 minute lesson. It should show all entrances and exits being monitored by uncut, time-stamped video. The counting process must be clearly visible in the frame of the video. Please contact the WLSL organizers if you are willing and able to provide this video footage by emailing bbuda@ wlsl.org. Video can be submitted on DVD, flash drive or CD ROM, in MOV, MPEG or other digital media file formats. Videos posted on YouTube are acceptable. Please provide a URL in your submission materials. 26 Witness of a Guinness World Records Attempt – Statement June 18, 2015 All fields required for statement to be complete. I, declare that I am not associated with, or related to, the record organizers or participants, nor have anything to gain from the final outcome of the attempt. Therefore I have acted as a witness of the Guinness World Records attempt for the record: The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ at multiple locations on June 18, 2015 at 10 a.m. wherever you are. I am aware of all specific guidelines. I confirm that all have been adhered to. ¨ YES ¨ No The World’s Largest Swimming LessonTM has the Claim ID number 473151 My current job title/profession is: I work for: My contact details are (All fields are required): Name: Address: City: Province/State:Country: Telephone number: Email address: I acted as a witness in this record attempt because my field of expertise is: ¨ N/A as an expert. It is more important that an instructor be suitably qualified than it is a witness. I am including my business card to this witness statement: ¨ YES (Place your business card here) ¨ NO 27 Our June 18, 2015 10 a.m. WLSL record attempt took place at: Facility or Venue Name: City: Province/State:Country: Time Zone: Stopwatches or the free online stopwatch www.online-stopwatch.com must be used for the 30 minute lesson. Please check all boxes that apply to your experience. ¨ ¨ ¨ Our event lasted 30 minutes We used stopwatches or the online stopwatch I verify each signature is a unique individual and that I supervised the check-in process. You must write in your own words what you saw. Do not skip this section! If left blank, your facility’s total cannot be included in the Guinness record. WHAT DID YOU SEE / MEASURE / EVALUATE AS A WITNESS? Did all participants participate to the best of their ability? ¨ YES ¨ No I witnessed a final total number of ___________ participants who participated to the best of their ability. I am willing to be contacted by Guinness World Records to discuss any details regarding this record claim. Signature: Date: 28 WLSL Host Location Guinness World Record TM Submission Guidelines For Facilities Hosting 100 or More Participants World’s La rgest Swim ming Less on Log Sh ee By registe TM ring June 20, 2014 Today, Assoc on the WLSL log sheet, I ackno AUSTSWIM iation of Aquatic wledge, Professiona Drowning , Blooloop, Cana ls (AOAP), Abbey’s Hope, Ameri & Associates, dian Prevention Association International Magazine, National Aqua Foundation, Red Cross (CRC of Pool & can Red Cross (ARC) tic ), USA Swim SPLASH! Magazine, Safety Company Swim Instructors AssocEuro Professiona Centers For Disea Spa Professionals (APSP , Aquatics Interna (NASCO), l Amusemen se Control ming, tional, Amus iation (ISIA), ), Australasian website, includ Water Safety Starfish Aquatics & Preve National t Magazine, emen Indep Institut Products, Drowning ing all INATI, Intern ntion, Colin’s Hope Leisure Manageme t World Wate e, Swim For Life the World Prevention endent Pool & Spa nt; ationa ’s Largest National Supporting Foundation, Alliance (NDP Service Assoc rpark Assoc l Swimming , CPSC’s Pool Safely Swim not inspec Hall of Fame , ted or tested ming Lesson (WLSOrganizations, State iation (WWA), and The C.L.A.Y. Found A), National Recre iation (IPSSA), the faciliti (ISHOF), InterPark Maga Level L), which will any of the ation, others ation & Park es occur simulta Supporting Organizatiowho may be adde The Zac Found local, state and the instruction host facilities and ation, United Association (NRPA zine, Jeff Ellis neously at d later will not be ns and Medi and super and federa ), Park nume States Swim vision prese promotion a Partners, and are posted on School AssocWorld agencies l pool and spa regula of all facility staff, nt at the facilities rous facilities on Friday the World have joined and be liable for during or ’s Largest tions iation, participants together prior to the , June 20, 2014 the safety their respective direct and no Suppo . The Suppo to act as Presenting Swimming Lesson rting Orga and their parents of any emplo WLSL Lesson ors, office Further, I hereb rting nizatio or Orga . rs, yees, instruc guardians The desig Organizatio nizations y give Relea n, construction in tors, partic employees, licensees, ns and Sponsors for this event ns sees or their parenattendance shall ipants or their and , operation and Sponsors have (“Releasees be the sole in perpetuity any events that and Guinness World ts, paren ”), and partne and maint ts respo are sched rs, and guard all others enance of without any Recor associated stockholders, affilia nsibility of each ians or for compensati uled in connection dsTM full permission facility any acts or with the devel tes, subsid on payab therewith iaries, adver as per omissions le to me. including, to use, publish and on the part opment and execu tising and without limitat displa of any facility tion ion, for adver y my name, voice in connectionof this event shall , photo tising, public with this event. ity and trade graphs or other likene name (PRIN purposes T) in any and ss in connection with all media worldwide We need help to ensure your facility’s participation is included in the WLSL Guinness World Record TM (GWR) submission and that our record attempt of more than 40,000 participants can be verified in a timely manner. their park or facility. Each witness must complete the GWR Witness Statement form describing his or her personal witness of the event. The new form can be found on pages 31 & 32 and downloaded from the materials page at WLSL.org. A generic letter is no longer accepted by Guinness. address participant’ s/guardian ’ssign ature city/state/z ip name (PRIN T) email address participant’ s/guardian ’ssignature city/state/z ip name (PRIN T) email address participant’ s/guardian ’ssign ature city/state/z Official Guinness World Record Submission Requirements for Facilities Hosting 100 or More Participants: A. Original log sheets listing all WLSL participants, initialed by a witness. Please send one copy of the log sheets. B. Two independent witness statements C. Steward statement forms for every set of 50 participants D. Photos of your event q Log Book Sheets: To verify the total number of participants in The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson TM record attempt at all the different participating venues, Host Locations must register each lesson participant on an official WLSL log sheet on the day of the event. This log sheet shows proof of participation and also includes a liability and publicity release. To qualify for the Guinness World Record TM everyone participating in the WLSL lesson at your facility must sign the WLSL Participant Log Sheet. This includes all instructors and lesson helpers. One witness must also verify and initial each log sheet. We’ve provided WLSL Log Sheet templates as PDFs in three sizes: small (30 participants), medium (75 participants) and large (100+ participants), which can be downloaded from the Host Location Materials page on www.wlsl.org. qWitnesses: Each venue must retain two official witnesses that are NOT in any way affiliated with ip name (PRIN T) email address participant’ s/guardian ’ssign ature city/state/z ip name (PRIN T) email address participant’ s/guardian ’ssignature city/state/z ip name (PRIN T) email address Facility Nam e: Date: June 20, Please note that there are new guidelines for 2015. To be counted in the official GWR attempt, all facilities hosting more than 100 participants will need to provide the following proof of participation. t city/state/z participant’ s/guardian ’ssignature ip 2014 Witness intia ls: email Number of participa nts per page : 1 qStewards: For events larger than 100 participants, GWR is requiring the use of a steward for every set of 50 people participating in the lesson. For example, if you have 200 participants, you will need two Witnesses and four Stewards. These Stewards MAY be employees of the facility. Each Steward must complete the GWR Steward Statement form, which can be found on pages 33 & 34. GWR has added this to the requirements to ensure that these larger groups are being accurately observed and counted. Stewards must be clear on exactly which participants they are observing. This can be done in a number of ways. One way is to separate the groups of 50 in different areas of the pool. Another way is to have certain groups wear swim caps of a certain color. Make a plan to differentiate your groups of 50. The steward needs to write how his or her group was different on the steward statement. q Still Photographs: Each venue is required to submit “original” photos of the event. Please send in 2 sets of your photos. They can be submitted in a digital format (CD-ROM or DVD), or as traditional photographic prints. The kind of pictures should be from various angles and ones taken at different stages of the event (start, during, end). Try to capture the action! 29 WLSL 2015 Record Submission Check List For Facilities Hosting 100 or More Participants Host Locations must send all submission materials via mail or over-night delivery. Shipments must be postmarked by Tuesday, June 30th. All Host Locations must provide the following: q Original official WLSL log sheets including participant names – each log sheet initialed by one of your witnesses q One copy of the official WLSL log sheets q Two original official WLSL witness statement forms completed by third party witnesses q One copy of both original official WLSL witness statement forms q All steward statement forms filled out for every set of 50 participants q One copy of all steward statement forms q 1-5 photos of your event – please submit two disks of event photos Optional Materials Please consider sending in additional materials including media coverage and video of your event to support the record submission and to be considered for publication in the Guinness World Record books, and other outlets promoting the WLSL event. Your materials make it possible for the WLSL Team to send the message Swimming Lessons Save LivesTM to millions! media file formats. Videos posted on YouTube are acceptable. Please provide a URL in your submission materials. q Media Coverage: To confirm our WLSL record, we must submit media coverage of the event from newspapers, magazines or recordings of local television or radio reports featuring the successful event. If you secure press coverage in your local market, please submit that with your other materials. World Record Materials Postmark Submission Deadline: Tuesday, June 30th, 2015 All record submission materials must be postmarked to the following address no later than Tuesday, June 30, 2015. WLSL Host Facility World Record Materials Submission Claim #: 473151 C/o World Waterpark Association 8826 Santa Fe Drive, Suite 310 Overland Park, KS 66212 Submission of all items mentioned by the deadline indicated will ensure your venue’s inclusion in the final record submission. If you have any additional questions or concerns regarding the process, please email: [email protected]. Optional Materials: q Video Footage: We need 10 percent of host locations to provide video footage of the full 30 minute lesson. It should show all entrances and exits being monitored by uncut, time-stamped video. The counting process must be clearly visible in the frame of the video. Please contact the WLSL organizers if you are willing and able to provide this video footage by emailing bbuda@ wlsl.org. Video can be submitted on DVD, flash drive or CD ROM, in MOV, MPEG or other digital 30 Witness of a Guinness World Records Attempt – Statement June 18, 2015 All fields required for statement to be complete. I, declare that I am not associated with, or related to, the record organizers or participants, nor have anything to gain from the final outcome of the attempt. Therefore I have acted as a witness of the Guinness World Records attempt for the record: The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ at multiple locations on June 18, 2015 at 10 a.m. wherever you are. I am aware of all specific guidelines. I confirm that all have been adhered to. ¨ YES ¨ No The World’s Largest Swimming LessonTM has the Claim ID number 473151 My current job title/profession is: I work for: My contact details are: (All fields are required) Name: Address: City: Province/State:Country: Telephone number: Email address: I acted as a witness in this record attempt because my field of expertise is: ¨ N/A as an expert. It is more important that an instructor be suitably qualified than it is a witness. I am including my business card to this witness statement: ¨ YES (Place your business card here) ¨ NO 31 Our June 18, 2015 10 a.m. WLSL record attempt Facility or Venue Name: City: Province/State:Country: Time Zone: Stopwatches or the free online stopwatch www.online-stopwatch.com must be used for the 30 minute lesson. ¨ ¨ ¨ Our event lasted 30 minutes We used stopwatches or the online stopwatch I verify each signature is a unique individual and that I supervised the check-in process. You must write in your own words what you saw. Do not skip this section! Left blank your facility’s total cannot be included in the Guinness record. WHAT DID YOU SEE / MEASURE / EVALUATE AS A WITNESS? Did all participants participate to the best of their ability? ¨ YES ¨ No I witnessed a final total number of ___________ participants who participated to the best of their ability. I am willing to be contacted by Guinness World Records to discuss any details regarding this record claim. Signature: Date: 32 Steward of a Guinness World Records Attempt – Statement June 18, 2015 All fields required for statement to be complete. I, have acted as a steward of the Guinness World Records™ attempt for the record: The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ at multiple locations on June 18, 2015 at 10 a.m. wherever you are. My current job title/profession is: I work for: My contact details are: (All fields are required) Name: Address: City: Province/State:Country: Telephone number: Email address: Our June 18, 2015 10 a.m. WLSL record attempt took place at: Facility or Venue Name: City: Province/State:Country: Time Zone: The role of a steward is to supervise smaller groups of 50 participants during the attempt in order to ensure full participation of all involved to the best of their ability. I noted any participants who need to be deducted from the total final count. I agree and have performed this role to the best of my ability. ¨ YES ¨ No We differentiated my group of 50 by: (separating the groups in different areas of the pool, having them wear different color swim caps, colored ropes on buoys, etc...) ¨ YES ¨ No How did you differentiate your group? 33 Please write an answer in each section! How did you count the participants? ¨ Turnstile ¨ Clickers ¨ Barcode ticketing system ¨ Ticket stubs ¨ Wristbands For your section of 50 participants or less, how many did you observe? (this is not the facility’s overall total of participants) How many of these participated fully, as per the specific guidelines of the record? How many participants did you have to disqualify and why? I am willing to be contacted by Guinness World Records to discuss any details regarding this record claim. Signature: Date: 34 WLSL Host Location Guinness World Record TM Submission Guidelines For Single Venue Record World’s L Last year, a new record of 1308 participants was set for the largest swimming lesson conducted at a single venue. If your facility is interested in submitting your WLSL event materials to be considered for the single venue record, please read through the following GWR guidelines carefully. q Log Book Sheets: To verify the total number of participants in The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson TM record attempt at all the different participating venues, Host Locations must register each lesson participant on an official WLSL log sheet on the day of the event. This log sheet shows proof of participation and also includes a liability and publicity release. To qualify for the Guinness World Record TM everyone participating in the WLSL lesson at your facility must sign the WLSL Participant Log Sheet. This includes all instructors and lesson helpers. One witness must also verify and initial each log sheet. We’ve provided WLSL Log Sheet templates as imming L esson Lo g Shee participa nt’s/gua t rdian’ss ignature city/state /zip name (PRI NT) email address participa nt’s/gua rdian’ss ignature city/state /zip name (PRI NT) email address participa nt’s/gua rdian’ss ignature city/state /zip name (PRI NT) email address Please note that there are new guidelines for 2015 A. Original log sheets listing all WLSL participants, initialed by a witness B. Proof of implementation of official GWR-approved counting methods C. Two original official WLSL witness statement forms completed by independent, third-party witnesses D. Steward statements forms completed for every set of 50 participants E. 1 aerial shot of the event as it is happening or 1 group shot F. 1-5 general photos of your event G. Video footage of the entire event including the 30 minute lesson 2014 address Official Guinness World Record Submission Requirements For Largest Swimming Lesson At A Single Venue: To be considered for the official GWR single venue attempt, you MUST provide the following proof of participation. argest Sw By registeri TM ng Today, Asso on the WLSL log sheet, I ackn AUSTSW ciation of Aquatic Professionals owledge, Abbey’s IM, Blooloop Drowning & Associate Hope, Ame (AOAP), Asso , Canadia Prev rican Red ciation of International ention Foundation,n Red Cross (CRC Magazine, s, National Aquatic Cross (ARC Pool & ), USA SwimmiSPLASH! Magazine, Safety Company Swim Instructors Asso Euro Professiona Centers For DiseaseSpa Professionals (APS ), Aquatics Internatio (NA l Amu Control & ciation (ISIA P), Australa nal, Amusem SCO), sement Ma website, inclung, Water Safety Starfish Aquatics Prev sian ), Indepen Institute, SwiNational Drowning Products, dent Poo gazine, INATI, Inter ention, Colin’s Hop Leisure Manage ent Wo the World’s ding all National Prevention ment; e, CPSC’s Supporting rld Waterpark Assom For Life Foundati Alliance (NDl & Spa Service Asso national Swimm Pool Safe on, The not inspecte Largest Swimming Organizatio ciation (WW ing Hall of PA), Nationa ciation (IPSS ly, Less Fam A), and othe C.L.A.Y. Foundati the facilities d or tested any of the on (WLSL), which ns, State Level Sup on, The Zac l Recreation & Park A), InterPark Magaz e (ISHOF), rs who may port will occur Asso ine, Foun be local, state and the instruction host facilities and simultaneousl ing Organizatio will not be ns and Med added later and are dation, United Stat ciation (NRPA), Park Jeff Ellis and supe and federal y at numerou rvisi pres promotion es ia pos Wo on poo Swi ent Part s facilities of all l and at the age on Friday, ners, have joined ted on the World’s m School Associati rld be liable for ncies and their respspa regulations and facility staff, participa facilities during or Larg toge June on, est ther 20, prio nts Swi no the safety mming Less of any emp ective directors, offic Supporting Organiz and their parents r to the WLSL Less 2014. The Support to act as Presenting on Further, I here on. The desi or guardia Org loyees, instr ing ers, by give Rele ns gn, construc Organizations and anizations for uctors, part employees, licen ations and Sponsor this event asees sees, (“Re s or their parein attendance shal icipants or and leas l be the sole tion, operation and Sponsors have their pare in perpetuit any events that and Guinness Wo nts and gua ees”), and all othe nts, partners, stoc maintenanc responsibility are rld RecordsTM y without khol rs associate rdians or for e any compen scheduled in con full permissio d with the ders, affiliates, subs of each facility as of nect any acts or sation pay dev idia per omissions able to me. ion therewith including n to use, publish on the part elopment and exec ries, advertising and and display , without limit ution of any facil my name, ation, for ity in connect of this event shal voice, advertising, l ion with this publicity and photographs or othe event. r likeness trade purp name (PRI in con oses in any NT) and all med nection with ia worldw ide June 20, participa nt’s/gua rdian’ss ignature city/state /zip name (PRI NT) email address participa nt’s/gua rdian’ss city/state ignature /zip name (PRI NT) email address Facility Na me: Date: Jun e 20, 20 14 participa nt’s/gua city/state rdian’ss ignature /zip Witness inti als: email Number of particip ants per pag e: 1 PDFs in three sizes: small (30 participants), medium (75 participants) and large (100+ participants), which can be downloaded from the Host Location Materials page on www.wlsl.org. q Official Counting Methods: GWR has approved the following methods of counting participants: turnstile, clickers, barcode ticketing system, ticket stubs (wristbands). One of these methods must be used on the day of the event and witnessed by your stewards for notation on their forms. For example, once someone has completed the witness log form, have an employee place a wristband on them. At the conclusion of the event, have everyone exit through one controlled area and collect each wristband from the participants who exit. qWitnesses: Each venue must retain two official witnesses that are not in any way affiliated with their park or facility. Each witness must complete the GWR Witness Statement form describing his or her personal witness of the event. The form can be found on pages 38 & 39 and downloaded from the materials page at wlsl. org. A generic letter is no longer accepted by Guinness. 35 qStewards: For events larger than 100 participants, GWR is requiring the use of a steward for every set of 50 people participating in the lesson. For example, if you have 200 participants, you will need two Witnesses and four Stewards. For single venue record attempts, Stewards MAY NOT be employees of the facility or affiliated with the host venue in any way. Each Steward must complete the GWR Steward Statement form, which can be found on pages 40 & 41. GWR has added this to the requirements to ensure that these larger groups are being accurately observed and counted. Each steward must complete the steward statement letter. Example: Number of Stewards Needed: 101-149 participants..................... 3 stewards 150-199 participants..................... 4 stewards 200-249 participants..................... 5 stewards 250-299 participants..................... 6 stewards 300-349 participants..................... 7 stewards etc... q Still Photos: A facility that attempts to break the single-venue record must submit “original” photos of the event. This includes ONE AERIAL PHOTO of the crowd or a photo showing the entire group. Along with this aerial or group shot, the facility should submit 1-5 general photos that showcase what is happening at the event. The photos can be submitted in a digital format [CD-ROM or DVD], or as traditional prints. When possible, please provide details on those included in your photos. q Video Footage: Any facility that attempts to set a new single-venue record must submit video footage of the entire check-in process, as well as the 30-minute lesson. The video should show all entrances and exits being monitored by uncut, time-stamped video. The counting process must be clearly visible in the frame of the video. New For 2015! q Your WLSL lesson must last at least 30 minutes. The lesson must be timed with stopwatches accurate to .01 second. A free online stopwatch www.online-stopwatch.com can be used and is accurate to .01 second. Any loud start and stop signal that is recognized by all participants must be used. Notes about Adjudication Option: •If you are interested in having your record attempt certified on the day of the event, Guinness offers the services of an adjudicator. Please note: there are fees associated with working with an adjudicator. If you’d like more details on this, please email [email protected]. • If you are planning to go after for the Single Venue Attempt, Guinness World Records highly suggests that you review and submit in advance specific information for pre-approval. This will help ensure that you will be in compliance with Guinness’ record requirements. Please contact Bernadine Buda at [email protected] or by calling +1-913-599-0300 to request this list of information. Any attempts not pre-approved by Guinness World Records may be rejected if the process is not deemed acceptable. 36 WLSL 2015 Record Submission Check List For Single Venue Record Please send all submission materials via mail or overnight delivery. Shipments must be postmarked by Tuesday, June 30th. All single-venue record attempters must provide the following: q Original log sheets listing all WLSL participants, initialed by a witness q One copy of the official WLSL log sheets q Proof of implementation of official GWR-approved counting methods q Two original official WLSL witness statement forms completed by independent, third-party witnesses q One copy of both original official WLSL witness statement forms q Steward statements forms completed for every set of 50 participants q One copy of all steward statement forms q 1 aerial shot of the event as it is happening or 1 group shot q 1-5 general photos of your event – please submit two disks with event photos q Video footage of the entire event including the 30 minute lesson – please submit two DVDs of event footage Optional Materials: q Media Coverage: To confirm our WLSL record, we must submit media coverage of the event from newspapers, magazines or recordings of local television or radio reports featuring the successful event. If you secure press coverage in your local market, please submit that with your other materials. World Record Materials Postmark Submission Deadline: Tuesday, June 30th, 2015 All record submission materials must be postmarked to the following address no later than Tuesday, June 30, 2015. WLSL Host Facility World Record Materials Submission Claim #: 473151 C/o World Waterpark Association 8826 Santa Fe Drive, Suite 310 Overland Park, KS 66212 Submission of all items mentioned by the deadline indicated will ensure your venue’s inclusion in the final record submission. If you have any additional questions or concerns regarding the process, please email: [email protected]. Optional Materials Please consider sending in additional materials including media coverage and video of your event to support the record submission and to be considered for publication in the Guinness World Record books, and other outlets promoting the WLSL event. Your materials make it possible for the WLSL Team to send the message Swimming Lessons Save LivesTM to millions! 37 Witness of a Guinness World Records Attempt – Statement For Single Venue Record June 18, 2015 All fields required for statement to be complete. I, declare that I am not associated with, or related to, the record organizers or participants, nor have anything to gain from the final outcome of the attempt. Therefore I have acted as a witness of the Guinness World Records attempt for the record: The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ at multiple locations on June 18, 2015 at 10 a.m. wherever you are. I am aware of all specific guidelines. I confirm that all have been adhered to. ¨ YES ¨ No The World’s Largest Swimming LessonTM has the Claim ID number 473151 My current job title/profession is: I work for: My contact details are: (All fields are required) Name: Address: City: Province/State:Country: Telephone number: Email address: I acted as a witness in this record attempt because my field of expertise is: ¨ N/A as an expert. It is more important that an instructor be suitably qualified than it is a witness. I am including my business card to this witness statement: ¨ YES (Place your business card here) ¨ NO 38 Our June 18, 2015 10 a.m. WLSL record attempt Facility or Venue Name: City: Province/State:Country: Time Zone: Stopwatches or the free online stopwatch www.online-stopwatch.com must be used for the 30 minute lesson. ¨ ¨ ¨ Our event lasted 30 minutes We used stopwatches or the online stopwatch I verify each signature is a unique individual and that I supervised the check-in process. You must write in your own words what you saw. Do not skip this section! Left blank your facility’s total cannot be included in the Guinness record. WHAT DID YOU SEE / MEASURE / EVALUATE AS A WITNESS? Did all participants participate to the best of their ability? ¨ YES ¨ No I witnessed a final total number of ___________ participants who participated to the best of their ability. I am willing to be contacted by Guinness World Records to discuss any details regarding this record claim. Signature: Date: 39 Steward of a Guinness World Records Attempt – Statement June 18, 2015 All fields required for statement to be complete. I, declare that I am not associated with, or related to, the record organizers or participants, nor have anything to gain from the final outcome of the attempt. Therefore, I have acted as a steward of the Guinness World Records™ attempt for the record: The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ at multiple locations on June 18, 2015 at 10 a.m. wherever you are. My current job title/profession is: I work for: My contact details are: (All fields are required) Name: Address: City: Province/State:Country: Telephone number: Email address: Our June 18, 2015 10 a.m. WLSL record attempt took place at: Facility or Venue Name: City: Province/State:Country: Time Zone: The role of a steward is to supervise smaller groups of 50 participants during the attempt in order to ensure full participation of all involved to the best of their ability. I noted any participants who need to be deducted from the total final count. I agree and have performed this role to the best of my ability. ¨ YES ¨ No We differentiated my group of 50 by: (separating the groups in different areas of the pool, having them wear different color swim caps, colored ropes on buoys, etc...) ¨ YES ¨ No How did you differentiate your group? 40 Please write an answer in each section! How did you count the participants? ¨ Turnstile ¨ Clickers ¨ Barcode ticketing system ¨ Ticket stubs ¨ Wristbands For your section of 50 participants or less, how many did you observe? (this is not the facility’s overall total of participants) How many of these participated fully, as per the specific guidelines of the record? How many participants did you have to disqualify and why? I am willing to be contacted by Guinness World Records to discuss any details regarding this record claim. Signature: Date: 41 WLSL Public Relations Overview The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson TM provides an unprecedented opportunity to work with the media to convey that loss of life from drowning can be prevented through awareness and training. The WLSL 2014 event helped spread the Swimming Lessons Save Lives™ message to millions of people around the globe. Media outlets in all major US markets carried the recordbreaking story and we expect even more coverage as the event enters its 6th year in 2015. opportunity in your market. Use the materials we’ve provided, don’t hesitate to ask questions if we can be of help and keep us posted on how you’re doing. Local network affiliate media coverage often prompts national media interest. We’ll keep you posted as well to provide updates and information that may be helpful to your PR efforts. The WLSL program provides all the right elements to support and develop a successful public relations campaign at the local and national level. As you develop your PR plan, keep the following in mind. If you’re not accustomed to working with the local media, keeping a few things in mind will help ensure your communications efforts are effective and productive. WLSL is: Timely: The timing of the WLSL event is days before the first official day of summer. Media outlets will be interested in stories about the beginning of the summer swimming season before and after the Memorial Day holiday. Relevant: The issue is a matter of life and death for children. Tragically, fatal drowning remains the secondleading cause of unintentional, injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years. And, a leading cause of death for children 1-5. Far Reaching: The issue impacts families and children everywhere around the globe – regardless of geography, race or economics. Newsworthy: We’re setting a new world record – doing something hard to do! A Great Human Interest Story: The WLSL event brings together tens of thousands of individuals from hundreds of communities around the globe that are committed to saving lives by teaching kids how to be safe in and around the water. People from California to Florida and Denver to Dubai – all coming together at the same time to tell the world how vital it is that every child learns how to swim. We encourage you to make the most of this PR General Tips for Communicating with the Media •Have confidence in the story you’re telling and in your own expertise. You know more than anyone else about your business. And, your experience with water safety and the aquatics industry provide a resource for journalists. •Always remember, you’re in control of your answers to any questions from the press. If you know ahead of time you are going to be interviewed, take some time to think about the three most important points you want to make about the WLSL event and what is happening at your facility. Write your three message points down and keep them in front of you. Refer to them during the interview if you need to. This will help prepare you and keep the interview focused on your messages. •Be concise in your communications. You’ll have more control if your answers are direct and straightforward. This applies to both verbal and written communications with the media. •Journalists typically look for short, interesting accounts of humorous or unusual incidents that support or illustrate a particular point. Be prepared to give examples and specifics. How many people are participating, etc. •Make a point of reading your local paper and watching a variety of local TV news programs. It helps to be familiar with the variety of media in your community as well as the names and faces 42 of your local news journalists and TV personalities. Make sure you’re familiar with any journalists/ media that will be onsite for your WLSL event. •If you are interviewed on TV, consider wearing a shirt with your logo on it. Or, if the camera crew comes to your facility, stand in a place where your park or pool signage will be seen in the backdrop. This provides a visual reinforcement of the name of your facility. •After giving an interview, let the journalist know that you are happy to serve as a resource in the future. WLSL Key Message Points Keep these message points in mind when you develop your WLSL press releases and to help your prepare for media interviews about your WLSL event. •The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ was created as a platform to communicate that Swimming Lessons Save Lives! ™ •The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ provides a great opportunity for children and their parents to actually become world record holders while they help spread the vital message that Swimming Lessons Save Lives.™ •What is exciting about the WLSL event is that so many organizations and individual aquatic facilities are coming together to make it happen. The WLSL helps capture all the passion we have for this critical issue as individuals and focuses all that energy on one message for one day. •It’s tragic that drowning is preventable and yet it remains the leading cause of unintended, injury related death of children ages 1-5 in the U.S. and the second leading cause for kids 1-14 – with more than one in four fatal drowning victims being children 14 and younger. •We are celebrating our sixth year of this worldwide event. This year’s event on the 18th is a great way to kick off the official start of summer. •The results from the 2014 event were amazing. Last year we set a new Guinness World Record™ with 36,564 participants representing 22 countries. Aquatic facilities, from Aquatica SeaWorld near Orlando, Florida to swim schools in Orange Country, CA, to parks & recreation centers in Atlanta, to locations in Mexico, Brazil, Dubai and the U.K., all taught the same swimming lesson at the same time with one goal in mind – send the message Swimming Lessons Save Lives.™ •By working together, we set our fifth Guinness World Record™ and generated 50 million media impressions about this critical issue at the beginning of the summer swimming season. •Being safe in and around the water requires more than just swimming lessons. But, learning to swim and the exposure to the water safety skills and messages that swimming lessons offer provides a lifelong foundation for drowning prevention. •Swimming is a life-saving skill for children and a vital part of a multi-step approach to prevent drowning. •There is always risk associated with being in, on and around the water. But, loss of life from drowning CAN and SHOULD be prevented by making sure kids and adults are water aware. •The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ culminates National Water Safety Month - a month long initiative that takes place in May to support ongoing public education on water safety and always being water aware. • The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ is being supported by a coalition of the nation’s leading water safety and training organizations, media partners and state-level organizations. WLSL Press Releases We recommend distributing at least two Press Releases/ Advisories about your facility’s participation in the WLSL world record attempt. Writing your WLSL Press Releases: A press release is the standard format for conveying news to the media. It should be factually oriented, telling journalists what the news is and all pertinent information in the most clear and concise manner possible. There are several mandatory components for a good press release: 43 1. Contact information, including name and phone number of the person from your facility who can answer questions from the media. 5. In most cases, a quote from the facility owner or manager expressing an opinion about the news being released. 2. An inviting headline that will catch a journalist’s interest. 6. An end paragraph that includes factual details about your facility, such as ownership, special features, history and your address. 3. A first paragraph that gives the: who, what, when, where and why in a clear and concise manner. Refer to the sample press release that follows to learn more about how to write your WLSL event press release. 4. The date the press release is being issued. 44 Distributing Your WLSL Press Release Most journalists prefer to receive press releases by e-mail, though it’s always best to confirm. Regardless of the delivery method (email, fax, FedEx, regular mail), be sure to include or begin with a cover letter/email that provides a concise overview of the main idea for your WLSL story, why it’s relevant and how you can help. Follow up by phone shortly after you send your release to see if your contact has questions or needs any additional material. Here’s a sample WLSL cover letter for reference. Dear (Journalist Name), Imagine being part of a world record setting team. Kids in the (your city name) area will have a chance to do just that on Tuesday, June 18th. (Your Facility’s Name) is an official Host Location for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ (WLSL) – an international Guinness World Record™ attempt taking place at pools and waterparks around the globe to focus attention on the vital importance of teaching kids to swim. Tragically, drowning is the leading cause of unintended, injury related death of children ages 1-5. The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ was created to help spread the word that Swimming Lessons Save Lives,™ just in time for the first day of summer. Swimming is one of life’s great pleasures and we want to keep it that way! We would love to work with you to share this story with your (readers, viewers, listeners). I’ve included a press release on the event and would be happy to put you in touch with (facility owner, general manager or spokesperson’s name) if you’d like to gather more information about the event or water safety and drowning prevention. Feel free to call me at (Your Phone number). Sincerely, (Your Name) 45 WLSL Press Release Template (Print on your company letterhead) Contact: (Name) (Phone Number) (Email Address) For Immediate Release Team WLSL™ Set to Break World Record on June 18, 2015. Largest Swim Lesson in 24 Hours Sends the Message Swimming Lessons Save Lives™ to millions around the globe. (Your Facility Name) Serving as an Official Host Location (City), (Date) – On Thursday, June 18th, 2015, tens of thousands of kids and adults at aquatic facilities around the world will unite for the sixth year in a row to set a new Guinness World Record.™ The global record attempt for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ (WLSL), will take place at 10 a.m. wherever you are. Team WLSL holds the current Guinness World Record™ for the largest simultaneous swimming lesson, which stands at 36,564 participants representing 22 different countries! The 2014 WLSL event generated more than 50 million + media impressions, spreading the event’s important message to hundreds of thousands of families. Tragically, drowning remains the leading cause of unintended, injury related death for children ages 1-5, and the second leading cause of accidental death for children under 14. Research shows participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% among children aged 1 to 4, yet many kids do not receive formal swimming or water safety training. [INSERT NAME OF HOST FACILITY] will be serving as an official Host Location Facility for the WLSL 2015 event. Parents are invited to learn more about this phenomenal event by visiting WLSL.org. ### 46 WLSL Media Advisory Template Contact: (Name) (Phone Number) (Email Address) (Print on your company letterhead) MEDIA ADVISORY World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ - June 18, 2015 Who: Thousands of children around the globe are participating in The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ to help beat the leading cause of unintended, injury related death of children ages 1-5. (Estimated participant count at your facility) of kids and families will be on site at (Your facility’s name) to participate in this global event. What: The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ Guinness World Record™ attempt for the largest swimming lesson in 24 hours ever conducted. When: Thursday, June 18, 2015 (Local time) am: Media check-in begins (Local time) am: WLSL event kick off (Local time) am: WLSL world record attempt begins Where: (Your facility name) (Your facility address) (Your City, State, Zip) Why: The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ was created to spread the word that Swimming Lessons Save Lives™ – tragically, drowning is the leading cause of unintended, injury related death of children ages 1-5. Interview/Visuals: (Your facility spokesperson) will be available for interviews, visuals of (estimated participant count)+ children participating in the world record attempt lesson taking place in (TBD) countries and (TBD) states/ territories in the US. Please Call for Media Access and Parking WLSL Local Event Contact: (Your contact name, cell: (111) 111-1111, email:) 47 WLSL Social Media Opportunities The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson TM is on Facebook and Twitter! The WLSL fan base is growing every day! If you haven’t done so already, become a WLSL fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Don’t forget to send WLSL a friend request for you facility’s page too! The WLSL social network will help us build buzz, awareness and excitement leading up to the big day! Being a WLSL fan means you have access to fun updates as well as another great promotional tools to help build buzz and awareness about your individual facility’s local WLSL event. Use Facebook and Twitter to drive participation and media interest! Put a Facebook logo on your website and suggest visitors become WLSL fans. Recommend that your seasonal staff become WLSL fans. Post wall comments and updates on how you’re preparing for the event. Give a shout out and recognize your top swimming instructors or share stories about your first swimming lesson. Tweet, Post and Share on Facebook and Instagram on the Big Day! If you have a Twitter Account for your venue, feel free to tweet and add the #wlsl hashtag on event day to let everyone know you’re part of the action. Tweet about your last minute preparations and your count down to the event. Be sure to post your event photos on the WLSL Facebook page. Go to http://www.facebook.com/worldslargestswimming lesson?Fref=ts and add your images by clicking on the Photos Icon under the box “What’s On Your Mind?” 48 Facts About Water Safety and Drowning Prevention The following data, along with other research on drowning prevention and water safety can be found on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website: http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/ Water-Safety/waterinjuries-factsheet.html http://www.cdc.gov/safechild/NAP/overviews/ drowning.html How big is the problem? •Unintentional drowning killed 1,027 U.S. children in 2010. More children ages 1-4 die of drowning each year than of any other cause except birth defects. Drowning rates also vary by race; African American children 5-14 years old drown at three times the rate of Caucasian children. This difference is even greater, five times the rate of Caucasian children, when looking just at swimming pools, usually the safest place for recreational swimming. •Half of all patients treated for drowning in emergency departments require hospitalization or transfer for further care and many are left with permanent disabilities from brain injuries. Hospital care does not substantially change the outcomes of drowning, which is why prevention is critical. •From 2005-2009, there were an average of 3,533 fatal unintentional drownings (non-boating related) annually in the United States – about ten deaths per day. An additional 347 people died each year from drowning in boating-related incidents. •About one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger. For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries. •Nonfatal drowning can cause severe brain damage that may result in long-term disabilities such as memory problems, learning disabilities and permanent loss of basic functioning (e.g., permanent vegetative state.) Who is most at risk? •Males: Nearly 80% of people who die from drowning are male. •Children: Children ages 1-4 have the highest drowning rates. In 2009, among children 1-4 years old who died from an unintentional injury, more than 30% died from drowning. •Minorities: Between 2005 and 2009, the fatal unintentional drowning rate for African Americans was significantly higher than that of whites across all ages. •Rates of fatal drowning are notably higher among these populations in certain age groups. The fatal drowning rate of African American children ages 5 to 14 is almost 3 times that of white children in the same age range. Factors such as the physical environment (e.g., access to swimming pools) and a combination of social and cultural issues (e.g., valuing swimming skills and choosing recreational water-related activities) may contribute to the racial differences in drowning rates. What has research found? •Participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning among children ages 1-4 years. Brenner RA, Taneja GS, Haynie DL, Trumble AC, Qian C, Klinger RM, Klevanoff MA. Association between swimming lessons and drowning in childhood: A case-control study. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine 2009;163(3):203-10. 49 WLSL Water Safety Tips Learn to swim Swimming Lessons Save Lives™ – the best thing anyone can do to stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim. This includes both adults and children. Note: The American Academy of Pediatrics now supports swimming classes after the age of 1 if the child is emotionally and developmentally ready. Never leave children unattended Parents are the first line of defense in keeping kids safe in the water. Never leave children unattended near water, not even for a minute. If your child’s in the water, you should be too! Constant, careful supervision and barriers such as pool fencing are necessary even when children have completed swimming classes. Read all posted signs Follow posted safety rules and warnings. Teach kids that being safe in and around the water is a personal responsibility – yours and theirs. Never swim alone or in unsupervised places Teach your children to always swim with a buddy. Wear a life jacket If you or a family member is a weak or non-swimmer, wear a life vest. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about and many facilities provide them at no charge. Look for lifeguards It is always best to swim in an area supervised by lifeguards, but remember, lifeguards are the last line of defense when all other layers of protection fail. Don’t drink alcohol Avoid alcoholic beverages before or during swimming, boating or engaging in other water-related activities. Never drink alcohol while supervising children around water. Teach teenagers about the danger of drinking alcohol while swimming. Avoid water wings Do not use air-filled swimming aids (such as “water wings” in place of life jackets or life preservers with children. Using air-filled swimming aids can give parents and children a false sense of security. These air-filled aids are toys and are not designed to be personal flotation devices. Watch out for the dangerous “toos” and don’t take risks Don’t get too tired, too cold, too far from safety, exposed to too much sun or experience too much strenuous activity. Don’t take chances by overestimating your swimming skills. Note the weather Pay attention to local weather conditions and forecasts. Stop swimming at the first indication of bad weather. Use sunscreen Apply sunscreen on all exposed skin to ensure maximum skin protection. Hats, visors and shirts are recommended to prevent overexposure. Keep toddlers in shallow play areas Zero-depth entry pools have water games, sprays and fountains with no appreciable water depth. Follow age & height instructions as well as health restrictions Restrictions apply to many rides and attractions at pools and waterparks. Size and coordination is critical to safety inside open water flumes. Guests with neck or back problems, heart conditions, prevalence toward motion sickness or pregnancy should not ride high-speed or rapid-descent rides. Use plastic swim diapers Many pools require them. Note where changing areas are located and use these designated, sanitized changing spots. Spit it out Teach kids not to drink pool water. To prevent choking, never chew gum or eat while swimming, diving or playing in water. 50