From water baby to World Champion Swimmer, Ryan Murphy’s love of the water started at an early age when his mom enrolled him in swimming lessons at just 10 months old. Long before he was making waves at the Summer Games in Rio, he was just a little fish learning how to swim.

Today, Ryan’s passion for swimming goes deeper than setting records and winning medals. As Ryan reflects on the profound impact learning to swim has had on his life, he realizes it wasn’t just a love of the sport he gained, but a life-saving skill that he’ll carry with him wherever he goes-a skill he believes everyone should have the opportunity to learn!

Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has created a gap in water safety education that experts say have contributed to an increased risk of drowning. Taking the lives of three U.S. children every day, drowning sadly remains the No. 1 cause of unintentional injury-related death among children 1 to 4 years old, leaving many families questioning what they could have done to prevent the unthinkable.

Although this past year has put many aspects of our daily lives on hold, Ryan reminds us that the risk of drowning has not. And with warmer weather on the horizon, water safety should be on the top of every parent’s mind.

Head over to USA Today to read the full article, where Ryan shares his best piece of advice to help families avoid the unthinkable this summer and how swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by up to 88%.

May is National Water Safety Month and your safer summer starts right now! Take our Safer Swimmer Pledge to learn 5 water safety must-knows to keep your family safe in and around water this summer AND enter for a chance to win a YEAR of FREE swimming lessons, while raising money for the USA Swimming Foundation.