Bio-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, July 29,1989 Swimming Tips National Geographic News Service Experts offer ocean swimmers this advice about sharks; 1. Swim at beaches patrolled by lifeguards, and promptly leave the water when told. 2. Avoid swimming in murky water and at the mouths of fresh water rivers or other areas where edible garbage accumulates. 3. Don’t swim alone. Sharks are more likely to avoid groups of people than individuals. 4. Don’t enter the water from a boat or pier where sharks may be present by diving in or making undue noise. The sound may attract them or even trigger an attack. Every One Can Be Active Being active is important. And it’s fun. Here are some active peo ple who have set some amazing records. Talk about arm strength ■ Victor Cerda, Sol Lozano, Harry Little 111, and Manuel Rod riguez twirled batons for over 5 days. ■ In 1984, Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins gained a total of 5,084 yards passing a football. And what about those stomach muscles ■ William K. Chico Johnson was able to spin 81 hula hoops at one time. And none of these hoops were spinning around his arms, legs, or head. All 81 of them spun between his shoulders and hips. ■ Ashrita Furman did 7400 somersalts in a row. She rolled all the way from Boston to Lexing t6n, Massachusetts. That’s more than 12 miles. How about this for endurance ■ Guy Stewart of Ohio jumped 130,077 jumps on a pogo stick. ■ Fourteen students from the University of Seattle covered 602 miles playing leapfrog. That is about the distance from St. Louis to Pittsburgh. Or this for flexibility ■ Nadia Comaneci of Romania was the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 in the Olympics. She won a total of 5 gold medals. Tough to beat ■ What about all-around fit ness? One of the top athletes has to be Babe Didrikson Zaharis. She was an all-American basketball player. She won an Olympic silver medal m the high jump. And she won Olympic gold medals for the javelin throw and for the hurdles. She won 19 golf championships. And she holds the woman’s world record for the longest baseball throw - 296 feet. Set your own records No one expects you to play NFL football or win 3 Olympic medals yet. But you can have fun setting records in your own neighborhood. ■ What’s the record for.the shortest amount of time it takes to run around the bloclc? * ■ What’s the record for *ihe most jumps witTi a jump rope 5. Remember that from a shark’s viewpoint, die silhouette of a surfboarder, or a diver in black wetsuit and fins, may resem ble a seal. A brilliantly colored bathing suit may resemble tropical fish. Some experts warn against wearing bright metallic objects such as jewelry. 6. Avoid provocative behavior. Don’t annoy sharks by pulling their tails, chasing, or trying to pet them. Sharks are often attracted to areas where divers are spearfish ing. If you spear a fish, remove it from the water as soon as possible. 7. If you see a shark, leave the water immediately but without undue commotion. (The shark may think you’re a wounded fish.) If possible, keep an eye on the ■ What’s the record for the most baskets in a row from the free-throw line? You can create all kinds of con tests. Keep track of the results. And see if you can set new records as you get more fit. How To Set Up A Par Trail What’s a par trail? It’s a path with several stations. At each sta tion you do a different activity. In some cities and towns there are par trails already set up. You can also make your own. Station 1 • Skip around the swing set. Run around the swing set. Hop around the swing set. Then jump on a swing and pump HAY IS TAKEN TO THE BAR 0 shark while departing. Be espe cially careful when leaving the water, when the shark isn’t visi ble. 8. If a shark comes too close or attacks, firmly push it away, pre ferably with a stick or other blunt object. Use an arm or leg as a last resort. Try to avoid jabbing and wounding, which may only anger the shark. 9. If a shark bites, strike and gouge at its eyes and gills to per suade it to let go. 10. Start first aid immediately after being bitten. Most fatalities are caused by shock and loss of blood. If possible, try to control bleeding with an improvised tour niquet or pressure bandage even before leaving the water. Once on land, stay quiet and warm until help arrives. 50 times. When you’re done, go on to Station 2. Station 2 - Skip rope 50 times on both feet. Skip 10 times on your right foot. Skip 10 times on your left foot. Then skip 50 more times on both feet. Move to Sta tion 3. Station 3 - Shoot baskets until you make a total of 10 baskets. Each time you make a basket, whistle or cheer. If you have the energy, start over with Station 1. Bauman’s study was supported by the Cornell University Agricul tural Experiment Station at Ithaca, the U.S. Department of Agricul ture and Monsanto Agricultural Co. A reef shark with an escort of barjacks rests on the bot tom after a day on the prowl. The animal is a member of the requiem shark family, which includes many of the species most dangerous to human?. Reef sharks, which dwell along coastal areas, account for a high percentage of attacks on swimmers. Readers Write My name is Anna Lantz. I am nine years old. My birthday was on July 4. My brothers have some pigeons and a pony named Star. We have three big cats and four kittens. On the morning that I was bom, a stray dog came to us and we still have him. We have a harness shop. I have two sisters and three brothers: Amos, 18; Rachel, 17; Aaron, 15; Aquilla, 12; and Fan nie, 4. Anna Lantz Lititz I am Katie Miller. My parents’ names are John and Linda Miller. My brothers’ names are Daniel, 11; Alvin, 5. My sister’s name is Mary, just about 2; Me, 9. We milk 37 cows. We have 30 hens and we get two dozen eggs each day. I give milk to one calf. I feed the horses. The horses’ names are Jack, Jewel, Pet, Pearl, Polly, and Charlie. I Idee to mow yard and I don’t like to wash dishes. Katie Miller Lancaster Hello, My name is Ruth Esh. My parents’ names are Amos and Lydia Esh. I live on a dairy farm. I am eight years old. My birthday is on August 3, 1980. I go to Pine Grove School. My teacher’s name is Sylvia Fisher. We have five little kittens. There names are Frisky, Fany, Fancy, Fluffy, Francy. We have four drivers. They are Spark y, Skippy, Silver and Scotty. We have four mules and two work horses, we have two dogs. There names are Betsy and Pearly. Betsy is 6 and Pearly is 9.1 have three sis ters and four brothers. They are Iky, 19; Anna, 18; Henry, 16; Samuel, 15; Salome, 13; Linda, 10; Ruth, 8; Amos Jr., 7.1 like to read Kid’s Komer. My narru Kelly Biehl. I have one brothei, Bradley. I live on a dairy farm. I have two dogs. Their names are Patches and Princess. I enjoy playing soccer. I also like to swim and ride bike. Have a good summer. Ruth Esh Strasburg Kelly Biehl Kutztown