Many Americans spend all summer at the lake, beach, or public pool. However, a survey for the Red Cross found that while 80 percent of Americans said they could swim, only 56 percent of these people could perform basic skills that prevent drowning (Red Cross Launches Campaign to Cut Drowning in Half in 50 Cities). Children learning and using water skills could save their lives as an adult, but for many the price of swimming lessons is high. Incorporating swimming as a high school sport in South Dakota would allow kids to get involved in swimming at low cost and generate more widespread investment in the sport. There should be high school swimming in South Dakota because it is a sport for many types of people, it’s very healthy physically and mentally, and teaching more kids to swim reduces drowning rates. To begin, swimming is a sport for various types of people. To be a proficient …show more content…
Incorporating swimming as a more accessible high school sport will allow more teens to be exposed to water safety and drowning prevention. Getting kids involved in swimming also makes it more likely that they will become lifeguards or swimming instructors, benefitting the entire community. Overall, swimming as a club sport is much harder to join and be part of than when it’s in high schools. More young people swimming carries over to less adult deaths in water. In conclusion, though many South Dakotans think that swimming is an uncommon sport, all but three states in America, South Dakota being one of them, allow their youth the opportunity to swim in high school. Competitive swimming needs to be allowed and encouraged to grow in South Dakota. With the additions of indoor pools in Sioux Falls and Mitchell, and existing pools in many cities, much of the groundwork is laid. High school swimming would benefit participating children mentally and physically, and grant them lifelong skills in