The Swim Professor

Jim Reiser, M.S.

Does your child REALLY swim like a fish?

How often have you heard a parent say, “oh my child can swim like a fish!”  When in fact, they may only have some basic skills, or a lacking skill set.  Combine the lack of understanding of what real swimming really is and the weak skill set, you have a serious problem.  One that could quite possibly get them into trouble due both the child and parent being overconfident of their swimming abilities.

A study by the American Red Cross backs my above statement up.  In that study, 80% of those interviewed said they could swim, but when tested, ONLY 56% were accurate.

Here is an interview I did with a Columbia NBC news broadcast.   I hope you enjoy the rest of the interview (BTW, the pool isn’t really green, LOL!  That is just our camera recording the clip off the TV).

The International Swimming Hall of Fame has named Jim Reiser the recipient of the 2015 Virginia Hunt Newman Award for his curriculum and approach in teaching infants, toddlers, and children to swim.  Jim was the first American to win the award in 10 years.

If you would like to learn more about the Swim Lessons University certification program and curriculum, make sure to visit us at www.SwimLessonsUniversity.com 

We have training and certification programs designed for both private instructors as well as organizations like YMCAs, Recreation Departments, Athletic Clubs, and more.

Swim Lessons University is currently being utilized by recreation departments, YMCAs, America Camp Association swim lessons programs, as well as by private swimming instructors in 45 states and over 30 countries!

You can also call us toll free at 1-866-498-SWIM (7946).

 

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April 3, 2017 at 2:13 pm Comments (0)

How to Teach Breath Control to Infants and Toddlers

The goal of today’s blog is to give you insight on teaching breath control to infants and toddlers, including how and when to teach it and why and when you should leave the activity and come back to it on another day.

First of all, at Swim Lessons University, we strongly recommend that instructors wear goggles while teaching breath control to infants and toddlers.   NEVER do consecutive dips if the child is not happy and getting his or her breath between dips.   You can see earlier breath control videos where we only did one or two dips with Rex because that is what he was ready for, and he wasn’t ready for three or more.  Each dip should be  an individual attempt to successfully get the air exchange.  The bottom line is to stay child-focused, and avoid “one more dip” for the sake of doing it.  So how do you know if you should do another one dip?   Your young students facial expressions, body language, and obvious level of comfort will answer that question every time.

Whatever you do–DON’T FORCE a dip when infant or toddler is communicating “no,” or you find the task to be upsetting him, even if he has done it before!  This is precisely what causes “regression.”   Make no mistake about it, it is not uncommon for a child who has performed a skill in previous classes or even earlier in the same class to get upset.  If the infant or toddler is not up for the task at that point in time, let your experience do the talking and leave it alone until the next class.  Parents and instructor need to accept that and understand that it is no uncommon and okay.   When an instructor or parent pushes a skill on a young child “just because the child has done it before, you are setting the child up for more of the same or worse the next time you meet because you would be reinforcing a negative experience.  The result of pushing an activity on a child that is upsetting him for whatever reason, is he will often start to associate negative, unhappy feelings with the task at hand or even the pool all together.   That is a path that you don’t want to take.

As Mr. Roger’s used to sing:  ” I like to take my time, I mean, when I want to do a thing, I like to take my time to do it right.  I mean I just might make mistakes if I should have to hurry up, I like to take my time to do it right.”   Take Mr. Roger’s advice.  Take your time and do it right!

Here is a video of example of doing it right:)

For step-by-step information on how to teach infants and toddlers to swim, check out Swim Lesson University’s “Parent and Tot” Video Course.  This 90-minute video is a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to teaching infants and toddlers to swim in a progressive, but child-centered environment.

The International Swimming Hall of Fame has named Jim Reiser the recipient of the 2015 Virginia Hunt Newman Award for his curriculum and approach in teaching infants, toddlers, and children to swim.  Jim is the first American to win the award in 10 years.

If you would like to learn more about the Swim Lessons University certification program and curriculum, make sure to visit us at www.SwimLessonsUniversity.com  We have training and certification programs designed for both private instructors as well as organizations like YMCAs, Recreation Departments, Athletic Clubs, and more.

Swim Lessons University is currently being utilized by recreation departments, YMCAs, America Camp Association swim lessons programs, as well as by private swimming instructors in 45 states and over 30 countries!

You can also call us toll free at 1-866-498-SWIM (7946).

 

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October 23, 2012 at 2:11 pm Comments (0)

Water Safety Interview with Michael Morris of Australia in Columbia, SC

We were honored and humbled to have Michael Morris of The Samuel Morris Foundation visit us here in Columbia, SC all the way from Australia.   Michael and his wife Jo-Ann are on a mission to reduce drownings and near drownings in Australia and around the globe.  As Michael mentions in the interview, one of the reasons he visited us was to discuss the Swim Lessons University Water Smart 101 program.   A program that was recently introduced to 46,000 children in Charleston County schools.  A program in which S.C. State Representative Wendell Gilliard wants to see in all S.C. public schools, and a program we would love to share with the rest of the world.

Michael and his wife Jo-Ann Morris have created the The Samual Morris Foundation.  The organization is in the name and inspired by their son Samual Morris.  Samual is an unfortunate victim of a near drowning tragedy.  As a result of this accident, Samuel experienced a severe Hypoxic Brain Injury and was left with a range of severe disabilities.

We hope this interview  (and we apologize the audio isn’t better) will help parents around the world understand better how to prevent unnecessary tragedies like this one.  We hope you will look at utilizing the Water Smart 101 program to teach your children how to be safer when in and around the water, and make the water a safer place for all our children.

The International Swimming Hall of Fame has named Jim Reiser the recipient of the 2015 Virginia Hunt Newman Award for his curriculum and approach in teaching infants, toddlers, and children to swim.  Jim is the first American to win the award in 10 years.

If you would like to learn more about the Swim Lessons University certification program and curriculum, make sure to visit us at www.SwimLessonsUniversity.com  We have training and certification programs designed for both private instructors as well as organizations like YMCAs, Recreation Departments, Athletic Clubs, and more.

Swim Lessons University is currently being utilized by recreation departments, YMCAs, America Camp Association swim lessons programs, as well as by private swimming instructors in 45 states and over 30 countries!

You can also call us toll free at 1-866-498-SWIM (7946).

 

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September 25, 2012 at 4:31 pm Comments (0)

Swim Equipment for Teaching Toddlers in Swim Lessons

Somewhere between 19 months and 2.5 years of age, toddlers can learn to kick independently (continue “touch supervision”).  At Swim Lessons University, we found that combining a flotation device like the Swim Ways Power Swimmer and a SUPER SIZED Noodle (the fat ones), toddlers and young children will have a better opportunity to be successful and start learning how their kick technique will not only balance them, but it will propel them around the pool.

If you are holding them all the time, they can’t learn this independence, which we feel is critical to taking that next step toward efficient swimming.  The flotation equipment also affords the young swimmers to kick properly.  In other words, without the flotation they are likely to start picking up some bad habits and as they resort to a bicycle type of kick.  This can be a hard habit to break.  Again, we strongly recommend once young children start kicking independently that you continue to provide “touch” or “arms length” supervision in the event they lost their balance or slipped off the noodle.  You want to be right there for both safety reasons and to ensure their experience is a good one!

I hope you enjoy this video on teaching infants and toddlers to swim:

The International Swimming Hall of Fame has named Jim Reiser the recipient of the 2015 Virginia Hunt Newman Award for his curriculum and approach in teaching infants, toddlers, and children to swim.  Jim is the first American to win the award in 10 years.

If you would like to learn more about the Swim Lessons University certification program and curriculum, make sure to visit us at www.SwimLessonsUniversity.com  We have training and certification programs designed for both private instructors as well as organizations like YMCAs, Recreation Departments, Athletic Clubs, and more.

Swim Lessons University is currently being utilized by recreation departments, YMCAs, America Camp Association swim lessons programs, as well as by private swimming instructors in 45 states and over 30 countries!

You can also call us toll free at 1-866-498-SWIM (7946).

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September 11, 2012 at 3:47 pm Comments (0)

Back Floating Babies

Dear Swim Professor,

I am teaching a class in my hometown with kids 15 months to 2 years.  I am having some difficulty with the back float.  Lots of squirming and crying.  I did the resting head on shoulder and singing songs.  Do you have any other suggestions, if you do please let me know.  Thanks.

Maddie M.

Dear Maddie,

The most important advice I can offer you to share with your parents is, “Don’t force it.”   It is very common for children at this age not to like being on their backs, and while they are capable and skill ready, the children may not be “mentally ready.”    It is my opinion that learning to swim should be a loving, enjoyable experience, and infants and toddlers should not be forced to do skills against their will.

When I am teaching an infant-toddler swimming class I stress to the parents, if your child is communicating to you that he/she is not happy, respect that.  In this case, sit the child up.   By keeping a child focused approach, your young students will learn to love swimming lessons and develop a life long love of the water.  By forcing back floating or any skill on a happy child, you will only prolong the process of learning the skill, and in many cases, set yourself up for failure.  Why?  Because by forcing a skill on a child, the child will only learn to DISLIKE the process of learning to swim instead of loving it, which is what we should ALL WANT:)

In our Parent & Tot 101 DVD, I tell a true story about my son Jeb.   When he was two, he seemed to hate being on his back.    However, my approach in the Swim Lessons University Parent & Me course is to spend a designated amount of time on back floating/kicking every lesson and the back kicking activity is in every lesson plan.   So like it or not, I come back to each skill every lesson BUT I never “make” the child do it against his/her will.  So every time Jeb would fuss, I would simply sit him back up and continue singing and loving and teaching.   So one lesson, still age two, we were on the front kicking exercise with the noodle.  Jeb was now kicking around the pool independently (of course I would follow him around and keep my eyes on his face to make sure he wasn’t taking in water at any time).  At any rate, he is kicking around the pool on his front and then suddenly, out of the blue, without any direction or instruction from me, he flips himself over on his back and starts kicking everywhere on this back!  He’s been kicking happily on his back ever since.  In fact, just last night, he won an 8 & under backstroke race, LOL!

So essentially, he had been “skill-ready” even when he didn’t want to do it, he just wasn’t mentally ready to try the skill until that day.  Parents and teachers should not get caught up in their own goals or be overly task oriented, but rather keep learning fun, and the skills will fall into place with the right environment.  Don’t think you are doing them a favor because back floating is some magical lifesaving skill.   Children should love the water first, and drowning prevention is a layered approach.  In my opinion, no child should ever be in a situation where they have to save themselves.   There should be multiple layers of protection that prevent a child from ever getting into a life threatening situation.

I hope this helps, and keep up your enthusiastic work!  You are a special teacher and your students are lucky to have you!

The International Swimming Hall of Fame has named Jim Reiser the recipient of the 2015 Virginia Hunt Newman Award for his curriculum and approach in teaching infants, toddlers, and children to swim.  Jim was the first American to win the award in 10 years.

If you would like to learn more about the Swim Lessons University certification program and curriculum, make sure to visit us at www.SwimLessonsUniversity.com 

We have training and certification programs designed for both private instructors as well as organizations like YMCAs, Recreation Departments, Athletic Clubs, and more.

Swim Lessons University is currently being utilized by recreation departments, YMCAs, America Camp Association swim lessons programs, as well as by private swimming instructors in 45 states and over 30 countries!

You can also call us toll free at 1-866-498-SWIM (7946).

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May 27, 2011 at 12:20 pm Comments (0)

Swim Lesson for Babies

Should you start your baby (under the age of 2) in swimming lessons? Swim lessons for infants? Swim lessons for toddlers? In my opinion, that really just depends on two things:
1. It depends on whether or not the experience will be a positive one.
2. It depends on whether or not you have reasonable expectations.

If you can answer yes to those two questions, baby swim lessons can be a wonderful experience for your baby. If your instructor takes a child centered approach, if the water is warm (87-94 degrees), if you are looking develop prerequisite skills to swimming and have realistic baby swimming goals, then you are on your way to having a great time and a beautiful bonding experience with your baby.

Toddlers as young as 19 – 24 months can learn some real swimming skills, even lifesaving skills, but no infant or toddler should ever be expected to save his own life. Parents must use a layered approach to drowning prevention and see to it that their infant or toddler never has to save him/herself from drowning. If they do, the parent has failed the child.

My advice to parents looking for opinions on these so-called infant aquatic survival techniques is quite straightforward: Pick up your baby and run the other direction! Stay far away from instructors and programs who’s one and only goal is survival swimming. Instructors who force skills on babies before they are ready are putting their lives at risk in the lesson itself. Would you like to see what this approach can look like? Check out the video clips on linked up in a fantastic blog by Katrina Ramser Parrish called Infant Aquatic Survival Techniques. Personally, I had to turn the video off because it was so sad. It literally had me in tears. I can’t imagine any parent thinking this is okay. I want to publicly thank Katrina for her excellent work in communicating what this approach can look like.

As a parent of three young boys myself (Rex, 3 months, Nolan, 2 years, and Jeb, now 7 years), I know that what I want for my children. Nothing is more important to me than my boys knowing that I love them. Nothing is more important to me than my boys knowing that I will protect them. Nothing is more important to me than the safety of my children. But you will never in a million years see my children in that environment. Innocent children are being put at risk by their own parents, because they are being led to believe that their baby can be drown-proofed.

At Swim Lessons University, we train instructors to teach infants and toddlers to swim through a child focused approach. Swim lessons for infants and swim lessons for toddlers can be of great value. Infants and toddlers can learn to swim in a setting that is positive and joyful. You can watch video samples of young toddlers (including my own) doing some very amazing things in our classes as well, but as a result of a completely different approach. An approach that puts the child first . . . an approach that makes learning enjoyable . . . an approach that shows our children that we love them.

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November 11, 2010 at 12:08 am Comments (4)

Swim Lessons University Super Conference: Swim Lesson Ideas & Infant-Toddler Swimming

Just finished final preparations for my first talk in at the Swim Lessons University Super Conference in Indianapolis and Las Vegas.   Take a sneak preview of what will be addressed and swim lesson ideas in the talk titled:  Infant-Toddler Swimming:  Practical Benchmarks and Progressions

  • Brand new benchmarks for Infants & Toddlers
  • 3 Types of Infant-Toddler Swimming Lessons
  • How your product will determine your success
  • Should your lessons involve crying?
  • VIDEO FOOTAGE of my Parent & Me classes including some that NO ONE HAS EVER SEEN BEFORE!
  • What parents KNOW (and what they DON’T KNOW!)
  • A waste of time?
  • Is the next Michael Phelps in your class?
  • What parents need to know
  • Educating your Swim Lesson parents
  • A personal email to Jim Reiser

I hope you will join me to hear “the rest of the story” at the Swim Lessons University Super Conference in Indianapolis or Las Vegas.  Register now for just $75 and receive 5 FREE Online Tests & Certificate programs ($50 value) PLUS MUCH MORE!

Trust me, I am making this conference worth your while!  Register today at www.swimlessonsuniversity.com

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August 15, 2010 at 3:26 pm Comments (0)

Swim Lesson Objectives

TOO MANY PARENTS THINK THAT WHEN THEIR CHILD CAN SWIM UNDERWATER THAT THEY DON’T NEED ANY MORE LESSONS!

Does your swim school experience this problem?   Of course it’s not only a problem for swim school business, it’s a very serious problem for the child’s safety.  I would like to share with you today a couple ideas I have when it comes to SWIM LESSON OBJECTIVES.

Number one, I have created a motivational awards bracelet system that includes a safety component: Water Safety System.

Number two, I have developed a set of Benchmarks/Swimming Proficiency Test Questions to help swim parents understand not only the importance of learning to swim, but what  children are capable of and should learn at a variety of given ages.  Here they are:

Would your child survive?

Only automobile accidents take more lives than drowning for children ages 1-14.   How well does your child swim?    Would your child survive an accidental fall into the water?

Can your child pass the following swim tests?

1 – 2 years olds: Can your child comfortably hold his breath and swim a short distance for up to 5 seconds?  Pass / Fail

2 – 3 years olds: Can your child get back to the side of the pool from a standing entry?  Pass / Fail

3 – 4 years olds: Can your child swim with the face in the water and get a breath when needed for at least 15 feet?  Pass / Fail

4 – 5 years olds: Can your child swim 30 feet of backstroke and freestyle with side breathing?  Pass / Fail

5 – 6 years olds: Can your child swim 25 yards of backstroke and freestyle with side breathing?  Pass / Fail

6 – 8 years olds: Can your child swim 100 yards using a variety of formal strokes?  Pass / Fail

Your child is capable of the above Swim Lessons University ™benchmarks.  Help reduce your child’s risk of drowning by helping your child achieve those benchmarks, using the Note & Float ™system, and following the “Safer 3!”

Learning to swim saves lives.  Give your child a life-time gift–teach him/her to swim!

Of course there are children who may accomplish these objectives earlier, and some who enroll later.  Nevertheless, this gives your new parents of young children especially a set of reasonable Swim Lessons Objectives or benchmarks for their child.

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August 11, 2010 at 1:26 pm Comments (2)

Do You have the Thunderstorm Blues? Swim Lessons, Swim Safety, and Customer Service

One of the most frustrating things for parents, swim teachers, and swim school owners to deal during Summer Swim Lessons is thunderstorms.  Parents get mad when we cancel, parents get mad when we don’t.  As a parent, I am certainly sympathetic.  I know how hard it is to get my three children in the car, go to the pool, and then have to disappoint them that they can’t swim.

I often encourage parents to take lessons with us in the fall, winter, and spring when thunderstorms are less likely.  Mornings and early evening time slots (before 6PM) prove to be less likely to have storms than the later evening times.  My personal experience over the years is that storms tend to roll in between 6-6:30PM most often, and July seems to be the biggest month for thunderstorms.  If I was a gambler and could win lots of money predicting storms, I think I would head to Las Vegas and retire young.  I am not a gambler, though.  I am a swim teacher.  I am a swim school owner, and my family depends on you taking swimming lessons with us (even in July)—so please don’t stop enrolling!

I have been in this business for over 20 years and I experience it every summer.  There is no full proof solution for the problem, including the weather channel and forecasts and even radar, which are right some of the time and wrong some of the time, and we are looking at them when we are trying to make the right decision.   We recently had to cancel class when there was an isolated storm that hung over just one of our 8 locations, and to make matters worse that happened two nights in a row for the 6:30 class.  According to the local weather the night before, the chance of thunderstorms was 0%!   Then there are days when the weather calls for an 80% chance of storms and we get nothing.  While there are few exceptions, we can only occasionally make a decision to cancel for the night an hour or so before classes start based on the weather forecast.

As teachers and swim schools, we can’t control “mother nature.  Fortunately many summer thunderstorms pass over quickly.  For instance, last night by 7:15 pm the storm that had me cancel my 6 & 6:30 class had passed and I was able to coach my swim team kids without a problem.  That’s why on many evenings it’s better to  take a “wait and see” approach the storms often pass over when it seems like there is no hope.  But there’s no way to know how long.  Sometimes it’s 15-20 minutes, sometimes it’s 45 minutes, others it’s an hour or more.

You can also go to most any summer league swim meet and see similar “wait and see” approaches being taken because these storms do pass, and kids will be all over the deck.   You see this often too at neighborhood and residential pools.   What’s most dangerous is being wet on the deck without shoes and not under cover.   Yet I’ve seen countless pools over the years where guards get kids out of the pool but they’re hanging around the pool in bear feet, sometimes even near the side splashing the water.  This is clearly unsafe.

My research tells me the best thing to do if lightning is near is to seek shelter and clear the pool deck which is what we do.   By the way, as far as I know there has never been a person stuck and killed in an indoor pool. I can’t find statistics specifically on outdoor pools.  According to the National Lightning Safety Institute, lightning studies from NOAA over a 35-year period are not detailed and show only generalized activities or locations of lightning victims as below:

  • Open fields/ballparks = 26.8%
  • Under trees = 13.7%
  • Water related (fishing/boating/swimming) = 8.1%
  • Golfing = 3.9%
  • Driving machinery = 3.0%
  • Telephone-related = 2.4%
  • Radios/antennas = 0.7%
  • All others/unknown categories = 40.4%

Statistics also show that one’s chances of being struck by lightning are .34 in one million.

Back to what we do as a swim school when it comes to cancellations, thunderstorms, and customer service.

First we have a cancellation hotline set up which is 803-561-0226.  The moment we decide to cancel classes at a given location I announce it on the hotline.  I usually also announce the make up schedule.   On occasion, if we have multiple cancellations, I will refer our parents to our website for the make up schedule.

As far as make-ups and rescheduling, etc., we offer the following options:

1.  A scheduled make-up class at the same time on a designated day of the week, i.e., Friday, which we currently keep open for make-ups.  In fact, in our outdoor locations, we keep Thursday and Friday open because of the likelihood of cancellations.

2.  If that doesn’t work out, our customers can schedule make-ups just prior to the second week or back half of a session once we are done actively registering new students.  I want to always maintain the integrity of the student: teacher ratios and that’s why we’d need to wait until the back half of the session.

3.  Our customers can take a credit that has no expiration date and use it against any future swim class, including the fall and winter when storms are as not likely to occur.

The last thing we want to do is risk anyone’s safety.  Again, this is the reason we send children and parents to their cars at our outdoor locations to take cover.  We don’t allow anyone on the pool deck if there is a storm close

If we cancelled lessons every time there are isolated or scattered storms in the forecast, no one would ever learn to swim.   We would literally lose half the summer.   Fortunately, most of these storms come and go.

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, I want every parent to know this:  YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT, AND I RESPECT WHATEVER DECISION YOU MAKE, WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR CHILD’S SAFETY.  I RESPECT A PARENT’S DECISION 100% if they decide that he/she doesn’t want to put their child back in the water after we determined a storm has passed.  I am always happy to honor a make-up, reschedule, etc.  Any of the alternatives I mentioned above.

I am in the business of water safety and have been my whole life.  It is my passion to make children safer in and around the water.   When we decide to get back in the water because the storm has appeared to have passed, nevertheless, it is still a judgment call, and your judgment for your child is the only one that matters.

But I will leave all my readers at this.   My rule of thumb is to make the same judgment call for my customers as I would for my own children.

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July 26, 2010 at 7:20 pm Comments (0)

“Developmental characteristics of a 2 year old” and applications

Each child is certainly unique,  and according to the McKesson Clinical Reference Systems, it is difficult to describe exactly what to expect at each stage of the child’s development.  However,  I thought you would enjoy me sharing some of the common trends in development for two year olds.  Socially, these are some common characteristics:

  • Imitates with considerable realism
  • may have an imaginary playmate
  • enjoys playing among, not with, other children
  • does not share
  • claims everything is “mine”
  • may scratch, hit, bite and push other children

Emotionally, the “terrible twos” get upset and are not very patient.  Especially when they are frustrated or not understood.  Often the two year old will strike out or show anger by crying.    They want their own way, they assert themselves by saying “no!”   It’s important, from a practical standpoint as we teach and or parent, that we understand what is going on developmentally at this age.   One thing we know we can do as a “preventative” is to keep a routine.   When the routine changes, that is often a trigger for the sharp mood change.

Physically, two year olds, especially boys, like to be in constant motion.  By implementing strategies to keep them active, we are much more successful.    The most challenging part as a teacher or parent is that mentally two year olds are in the “do-it-by-myself” stage.   This can be dangerous, of course, because they will attempt to do things they may not be ready for, i.e., jumping in the pool without your spot, going down the steps without holding on to the banister, or jumping off furniture!

You can’t do much “reasoning” most of the time, so you have to determine what your little one can and can’t do from a safety standpoint, let alone from a behavior standpoint.  You do have to teach them boundaries and there place in society, in the family, etc.   They have to learn it one way or the other.  As my two year old’s pediatrician said, if your two year old doesn’t throw a tantrum now and then–you are way to easy on him!

For more on teaching and parenting the “terrible two’s,” check out  my recent podcast.

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July 15, 2010 at 5:37 pm Comments (0)

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