January 14, 2019 - Mariposa's Jonah Dacanay is featured in a new national public service announcement, part of the US Navy's Drowning Prevention Public Service Campaign.
(Left to right) Yosemite Marlins Swim Club swimmers who were chosen to be part of a national public service announcement (PSA) on water safety, part of America's Navy's Drowning Prevention Campaign were Zylah Radford of Ahwahnee, Zayden Fausone of Coarsegold, and Jonah Dacanay of Mariposa. The swimmers are pictured with Director Lance Accord, who directed the PSA.
Jonah Dacanay is a freshman swimmer at Mariposa County High School and a swimmer with the Yosemite Marlins Swim Club, the year round club swim team that serves the mountain area. Jonah, and two other swimmers from the mountain area were cast to be in the public service announcement. Networks that are able to run the spot and are endeavoring to do so include: ABC, ESPN, FS1, Syfy, USA, Adult Swim, TBS, Comedy Central, MTV, MTV2, Soundcloud (audio), TuneIn (audio), Spotify (audio and video).
Jonah and swimmers worked with Lance Acord, a well-known director and cinematographer. Acord recently directed the Nike 30th Anniversary "Just Do It" commercial "Dream Crazy" featuring Colin Kaepernick and other athletes. It was broadcast nationally.
Link to Navy PSA featuring swimming Jonah Dacanay from Mariposa: http://www.navy.com/watersafety
Press release announcing the new campaign.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - PRNewswire/ -- In the United States, there are nearly 10 accidental drownings every day, and most victims are children under the age of 17. To raise awareness for this issue, America's Navy has developed new TV and radio public service announcements (PSAs), and a landing page on its website, to promote the importance of learning basic swim and water safety skills. To view and listen to the new marketing materials, please visit www.navy.com/watersafety.
The new campaign is designed to leverage the Navy's aquatic history and expertise to drive awareness of the fact that nearly 61 percent of children under the age of 17 cannot demonstrate all five of the basic water competency skills, including the ability to:
- Step or jump into the water over their head.
- Return to the surface and float or tread water for one minute.
- Turn around in a full circle and find an exit.
- Swim 25 yards to an exit.
- Exit from the water. If in a pool, exit without using the ladder.
The Navy is collaborating with the American Red Cross and the USA Swimming Foundation to share this information and other relevant statistics related to drowning prevention.
"Water proficiency is a central tenant of Navy training," says Captain Matt Boren, National Director of Navy Marketing and Advertising at Navy Recruiting Command. "All sailors learn to swim in boot camp, where instructors guide both seasoned swimmers and novices through water skills training that builds confidence and competence. It just makes sense for the Navy to lend its voice to raise awareness for this important issue and help decrease the number of drownings among our nation's young people."
Source: America's Navy
