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HEAD OF ASAA ADVOCATES YEAR-ROUND PROGRAM FOR WATER SAFETY

Long time water safety advocate Zero Iaulualo, who has been teaching open water safety, water survival, water rescue and swimming for a number of years in the territory is still going at it, but he says he's taught fewer numbers of people in the past couple of years.

 

“I know that I have stated this time and time again, but we here in American Samoa need a year-round program that teaches water safety,” said Iaulualo. “One way that this can be done is in partnership with government agencies. They should be viewing something like this as a positive image, to help promote water safety while working together with the community,” he explained.

 

One of the groups of young people he has been working with here in the territory are those heading off to the military, because as he has stated before, a lot of the young people from American Samoa that do join the military have failed aquatic testing.

 

John Jr, Misiaita Ludgate, who will be heading off to his US Coast Guard Training this coming Friday, is one of Zero’s students.

 

“Before I started my training with Zero, I did not really feel comfortable in the water and now I feel absolutely relaxed and confident,” said Ludgate, who is a 2013 graduate of Tafuna High School.

 

He said that he learned different techniques of swimming while training such as the freestyle (front crawl), breast stroke, and the lifesaving stroke among others, along with survival and rescue techniques.

 

“I have been training with Zero since July of last year and I know it will definitely help me out in the Coast Guard. I already knew how to swim somewhat, but I didn't feel that what I knew was enough to do well in the Coast Guard testing. I know that the swimming requirements for the Coast Guard were more advanced that what I knew,” explained Ludgate.

 

“The training that I've been doing was challenging and fun. I learned valuable skills in the water and hopefully what I learned, will get me off to a great start when I start my Coast Guard training,” he said. Ludgate is heading to New Jersey, where his basic training for the US Coast Guard will be taking place.

 

Iaulualo continues to push for a stronger swimming program for American Samoa, and feels it is the responsibility of the government to look after its people.

 

“Are there any government agencies here in American Samoa that provide any kind of outreach or service that teaches real water lifesaving training for the public? For years now, I have been promoting water safety and swimming lessons, and when it comes to funding, I go through a roller coaster ride,” he said.

 

“There should be year-round funds for this program, especially during the summer time. Why not do aquatic programs such as swimming and junior life-guarding and other programs that have to do with aquatics?” Iaulualo said.

 

Some of the programs taught by the American Samoa Aquatics Agency (ASAA), in which Iaulualo is the CEO, teach these skills, but as he stated, all of these programs are being taught in the open water, which is sometimes at the mercy of the weather.

 

“We need to promote a public swimming pool. I know that there has been talk lately of such a pool coming to the territory. With the pool, classes could be taught on a daily bases,” he said.

 

The Rotary Club of Pago Pago has taken up this project — a community swimming pool — to be built in the park area across from the ANZ bank. It continues to fundraise for the pool, with the most recent one taking place last Saturday — a golf tournament.