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Three sisters and former NC A&T swimmers advocate for swim safety

Gia Wright, Kirsten Thomas and Czamille Chrisp are sisters who formed the W3 Swim organization. They give swim lessons and educate people on water safety.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Three sisters and former members of the North Carolina A&T swim team are advocating for swim safety in the Triad. Gia Wright, Kirsten Thomas, and Czamille Chrisp grew up in Florida and came to Greensboro to further their educations and swim careers. In 2020, quarantine brought the girls together and they formed the W3 Swim organization. 

Wright and Thomas explained that the "W" stands for their maiden name and the "3" comes from there being three of them. Together, they give swim lessons and help educate people on the importance of water safety.

Wright is the oldest sister and lead swim instructor. She said she and her sisters are motivated by the need for swim education in all communities. Especially in the Black community.

"Really through the course of our lives, we've always seen that need, but the accessibility hasn't always been available for people in the Black community, so we specifically target Black families; not that we wouldn't teach lessons to anyone else, but we specifically target Black families because of the disparities and the frequency of drowning, that we see in the Black community," Wright shared.

Wright and Thomas have children and decided to expose them to water at a young age. They said one of the main causes of drowning comes from people panicking in the water because they are not familiar with the basics. 

"We start with developing comfort in the water because once you're comfortable, other skills come a little more naturally. So, we start with blowing bubbles, learning to breathe, being aware of the different depths in the water, kicking your feet, floating on your back and using different floatation devices," said Thomas.

Thomas added that it is very important for people to recognize their swimming strengths and weaknesses before getting in any body of water.

“Knowing your limits will ultimately be the best thing that you can do in the pool. Know your limits, take swim lessons, get that experience, get that exposure. Even with that, it will help as far as just getting to know more knowledge of the pool or the beach or lakefront. I mean, they are different bodies of water and they all should be treated differently,” Wright said.

The sisters recommend taking swim lessons instead of trying to teach yourself. Thomas said a person can learn much more in one swim lesson than what they could teach themselves. Plus, it is more safe because they are professionals!

The women are holding swimming lessons across the state this summer. They also said they're working on a children's book series detailing each of their swim stories.

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