Response From My Local Aquatics Director

Yesterday, I decided it was time to approach the Aquatics Director of my YMCA directly. I had previously emailed her and requested an appointment to meet in person, but she never responded. So I emailed her and got straight to the point. I articulated what mermaiding is, why it should be allowed, and why it would be beneficial to the YMCA to lift the ban. I included the only known peer-reviewed study of the hazards of mermaiding, which summed up says that the only hazards of mermaiding are also hazards of swimming in general: example - ear infections were the most commonly reported injury of mermaiders. (If the YMCA truly wanted to eradicate the dangers of mermaiding, they would require the use of earplugs.) I got the Aquatic's Director's response just a few minutes ago. I shall record it here so you can judge for yourself. "Ms. Smith, I appreciate the time you took to explain your cause. We enforce our policy on mermaid tails/monofins and underwater breath-holding based off of the safety recommendations of our insurance provider. We strive to keep the pool a safe environment for all and follow guidelines and recommendations to make that possible. Underwater breath-holding is another policy we strictly adhere to and the use of mermaid tails overlaps with that policy. Thank you, Kristy Snider Aquatic Director" Clearly, the weight of 100+ signatures was not enough to sway her mind. And certainly not a single email from one person. We need to band together and overwhelm her with input from people who want to mermaid in the YMCA pool, to prove that there are enough people to make lifting the ban worthwhile. And we are also clearly fighting against the insurance company, which has unfairly banned mermaid tails without any real reason. While scouring the internet, I could not find a single statistic on the lethality of mermaid tails. Other than the occasional and rare accident, mermaid tails have widely proven to be safe enough that nobody has felt the need to study how deadly they are or aren't. In other words, the insurance company's ban is based upon fear and not facts. Please join me in emailing my local Aquatics Director directly to show her that there is more than one voice calling for the ban on mermaid tails to be lifted! If we can convince one YMCA to lift the ban, others will more than likely follow suit. Aquatics Director Kristy Snider's email address is ksnider@ymcachattanooga.org and you may copy&paste the following letter if you wish (be sure to insert your name at the bottom!). "To Aquatics Director Snider, Mermaiding is a swimming sport that is quickly growing in popularity. It involves wearing a monofin and a costume tail that makes the swimmer appear to be a mermaid. Mermaiding has been around since at least 1911, and has widely proven to be safe when the proper precautions are taken. Mermaiding is in fact so safe that the only known study looking at the hazards of mermaiding, summed up, says that the hazards of mermaiding are the same dangers that any swimmer might encounter. The most dangerous aspect of mermaiding is actually ear infections. If the YMCA truly wants to eradicate the dangers of mermaiding, they would require the use of ear plugs at all times. Death by drowning did not even make the list of dangers in the study. (Mermaid health - identifying health issues related to mermaiding, Matthieu J. Guitton, 2017.) There is not a single findable, peer-reviewed study into or statistic of the lethality of mermaid tails. Mermaid tails have proven to be safe enough when the proper precautions are taken that nobody feels the need to look into how deadly they are or aren't. Your insurance company has recommended banning mermaid tails based on fears, not facts. The banning of mermaid tails is therefore irrational and in fact, reckless. By not allowing mermaiders to practice in safe, lifeguard-attended pools, you push them to swim in dangerous natural locations where they could be injured or even die because of currents, undertows, and lethal encounters with wildlife. However, we are not asking for a mermaid free-for-all. We understand the dangers that mermaiding presents to the individual and the other swimmers in the pool. What we are proposing instead of an outright ban is an advanced swim test that will prove that the individual in question is capable of safely handling the monofin and/or tail. We do not think this advanced swim test is unreasonable. After all, you already have swim tests in place before allowing younger children into the deep end of the pool, and as a part of certifying life guards. At most, establishing the mermaid swim test would entail altering the way that lifeguards are trained so they can provide the swim test for a potential mermaider. There are already over 100 of us who want mermaiding to be allowed at your YMCA. As time goes on and the petition spreads among the mermaiding community, this number will only grow. Please consider working with us and establishing the advanced swim test to allow mermaiding at your pool. Best regards, [your name]" Thank you for your support so far. However, this fight is far from over. We must band together and show the YMCA that we are not willing to give up this easily! I firmly believe that mermaiding is no more dangerous than any other water-based sport and we have facts on our side to back us up. If enough of us mermaids and mermen and merfolk lovers keep at it, then eventually the YMCA will have to consider our side, and they might just change their policy when they do. Don't lose faith! Do all you can - email the Aquatics Director, spread this petition online and in person, talk about why mermaiding is safe and should be allowed - and we have every chance in the world of winning. Safe swimming!