A teacher is working on the creation of a swimming program that could possibly equip more people with the means and knowledge to avoid drowning.<\/p>\n
Speaking before the Rotary Club of Saipan yesterday at the Hyatt Regency Saipan Giovanni\u2019s restaurant, Koblerville Elementary School literacy coach Valrick Welch said he is currently working on a proposal for a grant that would fund a swimming program for the CNMI.<\/p>\n
Welch pointed out that last year alone, about 14 drowned on Saipan, many of them young ones and a few were even professional swimmers. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a lot of drowning last year. How can we fix that? We\u2019ve got to get more people, we have to get everybody to learn safety, learn the basics of swimming so they can have the advantage,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Welch, who has been an instructor in the CNMI Public School System since 1990, said he cares greatly for his students and they are what motivates him to create the swimming program.
\n \u201cYes, it\u2019s for the students, it\u2019s for the school,\u201d said Welch, who is also a swimming coach. <\/p>\n
He is now working on a petition to get more people behind his proposal before he submits it to FINA or the International Swimming Federation. <\/p>\n
\u201cI have a talent for writing and maybe my talent is more for getting people together because we need more people to support it to get what we want and then I will do what I can,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Welch has already drafted the proposal. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you do a proposal, you first start with a problem. What\u2019s causing the problem? What\u2019s the result of the problem? And the problem is we have a lot of people who don\u2019t know how to swim,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The program not only aims to help students, but to also get Saipan residents back on the water to not only learn how to handle themselves in a life-threatening situation but to also reduce diabetes and other illnesses. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have problems with violence, we have problems with people not having anything to do and very high diabetic rate, cancers, etc. This could be reduced if they\u2019re more active,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a grant that I am waiting to open up, usually it would open up now\u2026this year it will probably be late but probably in the next 60 days or so,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Welch is hoping for funding up to $350,000 to supplement the program. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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