Five globally ranked swimmers from the U.S. National Team will participate in the World鈥檚 Largest Swim Lesson (WLSL) on Thursday, . Prominent swimmers include Tom Shields, an American record聽holder in the 50-meter breaststroke;聽Emma Reaney, a national record聽holder in the 200-yard breaststroke;聽, a nationally ranked breaststroke swimmer;聽, a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team;聽and , known for her backstroke, freestyle, and medley events swimming.
The event, affiliated with the USA Swimming Foundation, was organized to prevent childhood drowning by helping aquatic centers around the world do a better job of teaching children to swim.
鈥淪wim lessons are close to my heart because they were a huge part of my childhood, and they鈥檙e incredibly important in saving lives all over the world,鈥 Reaney told SwimSwam. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait to help out in any way I can.鈥
The WLSL broke a Guinness World Record in 2014 when 36,564 participants, representing 22 countries, took part in 480 locations. Organizers hope to break last year鈥檚 record, with 900 locations expected to participate. The WLSL is scheduled to begin on Thursday at 10 a.m. EDT.