Tens of Thousands Participate in Global Record Attempt for World's Largest Swim Lesson to Send the Message Swimming Lessons Save Lives™

More than 800 Swimmers Join Misty Hyman at Big Surf Waterpark, Tempe, Arizona, to vie for New Record for the Largest Single Location.

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World's Largest Swimming Lesson

Jun 18, 2013, 06:14 ET

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., June 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Kids, families and Olympic Gold Medalists from coast to coast came together this morning to set a new Guinness World Record™ for the Largest Simultaneous Swimming Lesson ever conducted. Team WLSL, which set the first record in 2010, needed more than 24,873 participants from around the globe to set a fourth consecutive Guinness World Record. While it can take weeks for the official paperwork to be reviewed, registrations for the morning event included more than 35,000 participants at 700+ locations – a 40%+ increase over last year's record.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130618/PH34530)
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More than 800 swimmers joined Olympic Gold Medalist Misty Hyman at Big Surf Waterpark in Tempe, AZ, in an attempt to beat the previous Guinness World Record of 611 participants for the single largest WLSL location set in 2011.

Janet Evans, Rowdy Gaines, Brendan Hansen and other current and previous USA Swimming National Team members coached and encouraged swimmers, taught the back float and signed autographs to support the worldwide event.

"The World's Largest Swimming Lesson is a great way to send the message swimming lessons save lives," said Janet Evans, four-time Olympic Gold Medalist and champion for the WLSL event.

Tragically, drowning remains the second leading cause of accidental death for kids ages 1-14 and leading cause of accidental death for kids 1-5. Research shows participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% among children aged 1-4.

Visit www.wlsl.org to learn more about The World's Largest Swimming Lesson™ created by the World Waterpark Association in 2010 and supported by dozens of water safety organizations and media partners around the globe.

Media Contact: Kristin Scheithauer
Email: [email protected]
714-336-0920

SOURCE World's Largest Swimming Lesson