Allan Meier, swimming and physical education instructor at Western
Oklahoma State College, has received national recognition as a
co-author of “Safety Training for Swim Coaches” a publication of the
American Red Cross. All swim coaches in the U.S., who number
approximately 10,000, must complete the training provided in this
manual.
“Safety Training for Swim Coaches” is required material for the
American Red Cross’ safety training for swim coaches. The content
covers possible life threatening or hazardous situations in and
around the water and the techniques and skills for preventing and
dealing with them.
Also included are workout and warm-up procedures, racing starts,
event safety, emergency planning, electrical safety, weather and
environmental conditions, and handling of medical conditions and
injuries. Throughout the book, there are website references,
resources, and sample forms for use by swim coaches. Compiling the
training manual was a three-year project, according to Meier.
Meier first became active in swimming with the Tidal Waves program
at Western . This swimming activity for young children had begun in
1981, and Meier got involved in 1985 . From that point he became
increasingly more active with the American Red Cross and USA
Swimming. At the recent USA Swimming conference in Anaheim, Ca.
Meier was appointed to a four-year term as chairman of the safety
education committee. Meier’s was the first four-year appointment in
the history of USA Swimming, as all previous committee chair
appointments had been for two years.
Meier earned a bachelor of science in health, physical education,
and recreation from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and a
master of science in physical education with emphasis in athletic
administration from the University of Nebraska, Omaha.
Currently, Meier teaches physical education and swimming courses at
Western and maintains the college pool and the community swimming
program. The schedule of swimming activities is available at
www.wosc.edu under athletics.
