How Almost Drowning at 5 Led Cullen Jones To Become an Olympic Gold Medalist
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The Olympic swimmer is raising awareness for the importance of teaching kids to swim.
GettyImages/Al Bello/Staff
Fact checked by Sarah ScottFact checked by Sarah ScottThe following was told to Maressa Brown by Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones.When I nearly drowned at 5 years old, I was fully supervised—lifeguards were there, my parents were there. I was at a water park in Pennsylvania. I was following my dad down a water slide. He went down, and then, I came down, and I flipped upside down. I had not had swim lessons, so I didn’t know what to do. I panicked. I had to be fully resuscitated by a lifeguard, and when I woke up, the first words out of my mouth were, “What’s the next ride we're getting on?” I was fine. But at 14, when I was trying to get better at the 100 freestyle, I was having issues—almost like trauma. I remember coming home, and I was explaining it to my mom, and she told me all the details of that day at the water park and said, “I almost lost you that day.” That’s why, about six months after the incident, my mom got me into swim lessons. It took me about five different teachers until I met Coach Brad, who got me comfortable around the water. By 8 years old, I had joined a competitive team. My mom would say, “We spent all day at a swim meet, and you still want to go to the pool to play?” I was like, “Yeah.” And that’s when she told me that being in the water and teaching others about it was my calling.I became a lifeguard, and I started giving lessons. It felt right; it clicked. Telling younger swimmers what I was learning helped me to understand what I was doing in the water as an athlete. I also just found so much joy in watching someone do bubbles for the first time, put their face in the water, and conquer that fear. I loved being able to change someone's perception of water—going from, “Oh, my God, no, I don't do that” to “I don't want to get out!”That was back in my teens, and I haven’t stopped since. I've become a big advocate for water safety.Every summer, as temperatures heat up, kids love getting into the pool. Kids are drawn to the water and they will do anything to get near the water. So the No. 1 thing we want people to understand is the importance of water safety and learning. For the third year in a row, I am teaming up with the nation’s leading pool retailer, Leslie’s, because we share a passion for the importance of swimming lessons and water safety education. "What parents must know is that swim lessons are necessary. It is a life skill—and one that will save lives."Cullen Jones
Fatherhood Has Strengthened His MissionI’m even more passionate about this these days as the father to my 5-year-old son Ayvn. I’ve had my son in the water since he was 6 months old. Now, every single day, I hear, “Daddy, are we going swimming today?”What I want parents to understand is that we can get ahead of an unfortunate, negative experience by having positive, educational experiences.I'll never forget, in 2010, I went to Shreveport, Louisiana, after six children drowned one after another, each trying to save the child before. None of these children had ever had swim lessons. I couldn't even hold back tears, but I also gave some lessons to a couple of the kids in the community.
GettyImages/Streeter Lecka/Staff U.S. Olympic swimmer Cullen Jones teaching kids to swim.
Initially, they didn't want to even sit with their feet in the water. And in 30 minutes, they were screaming at me and crying because they didn't want to get out of the water. That’s the positive experience—and the most important thing for a child who’s fearful of the water. They’ll benefit from a teacher who can explain that water can be your best friend, but you have to respect it because we're not built for it. We don't have gills.Tips for Swim Safety for AllAs a Black male, I also feel strongly that we need to stop the narrative that Black people don't swim. Sixty-four percent of Black, 45% of Hispanic/Latino, and 40% of Caucasian children have little to no swimming ability, and that’s a reason people are drowning and dying. It’s a U.S. problem. Drowning is a leading cause of death for children 1 to 4 years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).To begin to tackle this epidemic, it’s a must for everyone to understand the three basic tenets of water safety:Learn to swim with formal lessons.Make sure that kids are swimming in sanitized, safe, clean water to guard against bacteria. (Routine pool water testing is crucial to maintaining proper water balance for safe swimming water.)Secure your pool area when it’s not in use in order to make sure that kids are safe. You can use fences, gate locks, alarms, and pool safety covers. (Many local laws require fencing at the bare minimum. Check with your local municipality or HOA to be sure you are in compliance.)A fourth and final tenant: Have fun.Swimming has changed my life. It has allowed me to take care of my family, travel the world, show my mom the world. It has been one of the best things in my entire life. I don’t want families to think of it as something scary, because it doesn’t have to be. What parents must know is that swim lessons are necessary. It is a life skill—and one that will save lives. Raising Money for Water SafetyNow through October 31, Leslie’s is raising money for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Red Cross to help children across the nation learn to swim and about water safety. It's accepting donations online and in more than 1,000 stores across the nation with 100% of the proceeds split equally between these two nonprofits. Since 2020, Leslie’s has raised and donated more than $1.5 million for such programs, with the funds fueling local initiatives in communities across the United States.
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