The traditional opening of pools over the Memorial Day Weekend serves as a reminder of two points that bear being made again.
Summertime is a season when water looks inviting, regardless of the setting. And, so long as basic safety precautions are taken, there’s no reason not to enjoy the bountiful opportunities for swimming in and around Harford County.
The Chesapeake Bay, the Susquehanna River and a number of streams and creeks offer plenty of opportunities to cool off. What they don’t offer, however, is the kind of protection available at the many community pools in the area, namely lifeguards.
Your mother’s warning that you can drown in an inch of water is more true than a lot of people want to admit. Unfortunately, there are plenty of tragic examples to prove the point.
Knowing your limits and the limits of those you’re with is one of the keys to having a safe dip. Always going into the water with a partner is another. It’s also worth remembering alcohol and other mind-altering drugs can make an enjoyable afternoon end in tragedy.
Importantly, if you don’t know basic skills, such as how to tread water, staying dry might be the best course of action.
This final safety suggestion highlights the second point about water safety that bears reiterating: our public schools in Harford County should be better equipped to teach water safety during gym class.
Thanks to the bay, its many tributaries and the Atlantic Ocean, Maryland is a water-oriented state, and Harford County is as water-oriented as any community in the state. Unfortunately, swimming pools are in relatively short supply, as only Magnolia Middle, Edgewood Middle and North Harford Middle are equipped.
It’s unfortunate the school system never fulfilled the goal of having a swimming pool for each secondary school community. And, given the county government’s penchant for paying to build new schools to accommodate development, it’s downright tragic the same kind of political will can’t be found to have pools in each of our secondary school communities.
Having more ready access to swimming facilities would allow the county to incorporate basic water safety skills into the physical education program, which is something that should have been done long ago.