More than 37,000 Kids Attempt Their Fifth World Record for the Largest Simultaneous Global Swim Lesson to Help Prevent Youth Drowning

Olympic Gold Medalist Janet Evans, past and present members of the USA Swimming National Team kick off events taking place at 800+ locations to spread the message Swimming Lessons Save Lives™.

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World's Largest Swimming Lesson

Jun 19, 2014, 08:30 ET

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., June 19, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Friday, June 20, 2014, tens of thousands of kids on 6 continents will usher in the first official weekend of summer with a Guinness World Record attempt and a life-saving message.

Swimmers at hundreds of waterparks and aquatic facilities around the world join Team WLSL to take part in The World's Largest Swimming Lesson™, beginning at exactly 3 pm GMT (11 am EDT, 8 am PDT.) to shed light on the fact that drowning is the second leading cause of unintended, injury-related death for kids between 1 and 14.

More than 37,000 Kids Attempt Their Fifth World Record for the Largest Simultaneous Global Swim Lesson to Help Prevent Youth Drowning (PRNewsFoto/World's Largest Swimming Lesson) (PRNewsFoto/World's Largest Swimming Lesson)

"Research shows participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% among children aged 1 to 4," said Janet Evans, Olympic Gold Medalist and spokesperson for the event. "Yet many kids don't receive formal swimming or water safety training. Drowning is preventable and the first step is insuring every child learns to swim."

According to reports from the USA Swimming Foundation, 77 children under the age of 14 died from drowning in May of 2014. Typically, more children drown in June than during any other month of the year.

Team WLSL holds the current Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous swimming lesson, which stands at 32,450 participants hosted by 432 facilities in 13 countries. The 2013 record saw a 30 percent increase over the previous year's record of 24,873 and generated more than 50 million media impressions.

The World's Largest Swimming Lesson™ was created by the World Waterpark Association in 2010 as a platform to help aquatic facilities and water safety organizations work together to communicate the fundamental importance of teaching children to swim. Visit www.wlsl.org to learn more. The event is supported by the nations' leading water safety and training organizations and sponsored by WhiteWater West Industries, www.whitewaterwest.com.

Contact:
Kristin Scheithauer
(714) 336-0920

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