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Show m sioii 1st ' LEABN HDWTO SWIM Fifty Per Cent of Those irv Training Stations Cannot Paddle in Water. NEW HAVEX, Coun., March 30. Every sailor in the various training Btations throughout the country is to be taught to swim as a military requirement, require-ment, according to plans announced today to-day by Walter Camp, general director o navy athletics 'of the navy department depart-ment commission ou training camp activities. ac-tivities. In a survey of the training stations, Director Camp has found that almost 50 per cent of embryo sailors are unable un-able to swim. This condition, he says, although alarming, is easily explained inasmuch as most of the men have had little opportunity in this direction us they have come from communities and cities where facilities for aquatic sports are not available. Two methods are being employed in the naval stations in teaching the sailors sail-ors to swim. Oue is in the water, the natural way, and the other is on dry laud. To a novice the idea of a man learning to swim on laud would seem ridiculous, but it has proved to be one of the best means of conditioning the men for the course in water instruction instruc-tion that follows, and completes their training. "Swimming is one of ti:e few exercises exer-cises that tend toward a finer and more uniform phvsical development," Director Direc-tor Camp declares. "It produces a clear-cut and supple body where other sports only develop a part of it. In addition, swimming stands almost without with-out a rival as a lucrative sport, tor where is the man who doesn't prefer a plunge in the surf to any other form of recreation ou a hot summer's day.'" "Every sailor should be taught how I to swim.'' Director Camp concludes. "It is imperative. A sailor who doesn't know how to swim is like a carpenter who doesn't know how to use a ham-! I mtr. 1 ' |