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The music is blaring, the swim team is splashing, the toddlers are shrieking, the talkers are talking and in the middle of all this chaos you start your class. As you shout to be heard, some of your students simply stare back with vacuous, slack-jawed expressions. Obviously, they can’t hear a word you are saying. Once again, you finish class and drive home with yet another sore throat. Occasionally, the sore throat morphs into prolonged bouts of hoarseness or laryngitis. In a matter of years, your voice has gone from Doris Day to Lauren Bacall and old friends frequently comment about it. Sound familiar? If so, you could be setting yourself up for serious vocal cord injury.

The dangers of vocal cord damage have been well documented within the group fitness industry. As group fitness exploded in the early 90’s, the rampant spread of vocal injuries amongst instructors prompted an industry push for aerobic studios to be equipped with microphones. Most club owners supported the effort and purchased voice amplification systems. Oddly, the support in many facilities extended only to the aerobic studios and the pools were largely ignored.

The fact that pools have been forsaken is even odder when you consider the aquatic environment. Pools are popular places and you seldom have the luxury of exclusivity while teaching. More than likely, you will have to compete with family recreation or swim lessons. The poor acoustics of an indoor pool combined with music crackling from a decrepit boom box will have you shouting even louder. Shouting forces you to aspirate more deeply and if you are in an enclosed area with possibly contaminated water droplets or chemical vapors present – well that just can’t be very good. 

Why does aqua fitness lag behind land fitness in terms of providing microphones for instructors? The main excuse often given seems to be cost related. Club directors will often say the cost of water proof wireless systems is prohibitive to budget allocations. “Not true,” says Pauline Ivens, AEA Training Specialist and author of a recent article on the importance of microphones for aquatic fitness professionals. After suffering through two vocal cord surgeries, Ivens will never again teach without a microphone and dedicates herself to challenging the myth that water proof wireless microphones cost too much. “The water proof wireless microphone that I use costs $1100, which is less than the cost of one spinning bike,” says Ivens. In perspective, that really is pretty sad when you consider that many spinning studios are stocked with 20 or more bikes. If a facility is budget strapped there are even cheaper options for voice amplification, such as a “waist pack” type system by Chatter Vox ™, which usually sells for less than $200. Worn like a belt, it is not waterproof and you must teach from deck if you use it.

In most facilities, the aquatic fitness classes command huge numbers, particularly with the seniors in the morning classes. It simply makes no sense to deny microphones to the instructors who teach to the largest groups. Sadly, I teach at a location that provides microphones for use in two different group fitness rooms, as well as the gym and the spinning studio; yet they do not provide the aquatic fitness instructors with a microphone. Four microphones for land fitness instructors and none for aquatic fitness instructors - could this be litigious oversight? In her article, Pauline Ivens states that she actually knows an instructor who sued her facility for not providing a microphone. According to Ivens, the instructor won the case and continued teaching at the facility she sued!

Common sense dictates that the health and well being of the instructor should be a primary goal for fitness facilities. Unfortunately, many instructors are left to their own devices when battling budget restrictions and unsympathetic owners to secure voice protection rights, but sometimes they are successful. Recently, Pauline Ivens received an e-mail from an instructor whom she had advised regarding the purchase of a microphone. “I wanted you to know that we finally got our waterproof microphone and I LOVE IT! And so do my students. For the first time in months, I don’t have a hoarse voice or a sore throat,” wrote Melanie Olson, an aquatic fitness instructor from Bainbridge Island, WA. 

The use of a microphone is instrumental in preventing vocal chord damage, but the use of a microphone alone will not prevent an instructor from injury. Vocal injuries occur from overuse and other contributing factors such as the very nature of talking/straining while exercising and cueing from compromised body positions. Sometimes instructors have to take additional adaptive measures in their teaching in order to save their voice. Applying more visual cueing techniques saved the voice of Patty Kondub, an aquatic fitness professional in Fairfield, CT. After developing nodules on her vocal cords, Kondub was given the option of surgery or vocal rest. Unsettled by the prospect of surgery, she opted for vocal rest and turned the experience into a positive testament for creative visual cueing and she even shared her success in an article for AKWA. In her article, she detailed her creative use of signs, whistles, claps and more. “I even had a sign counting down 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,” says Kondub. She also sought out the help of a voice therapist on how to better develop her vocal projection, something she recommends for any instructor who is struggling to be heard.

Another aquatic fitness instructor who chose vocal rest over surgery, Brenda Russell, a professional singer from Nashville, TN, says that refraining from talking is not as easy as it sounds. “Most people don’t understand that vocal rest encompasses ALL aspects of your life and requires changes in personal, professional and family daily activities,” says Russell. Her family life includes being the mother of young children and Russell says taming her vocal habits and resisting maternal instincts to raise her voice has been very challenging. In order to ration her voice for limited communication with family, she has had to rely heavily on e-mail communication with her friends and professional peers. As an instructor, she has taken several measures to preserve her voice, including more non-verbal cues and voice amplification. She has also stopped using music in her classes and even scheduled an extended leave of absence from classes in the outdoor pool this summer. Despite the inconveniences, Russell is confident she made the right choice in choosing rest over surgery. Her experience has prompted her to develop an AEA Home Study course. The course, Vocal Preservation for the Fitness Instructor, will be available for continuing education credits in September 2006, and Russell hopes the home-study will provide instructors with sound advice for protecting their voices and their careers.

Clearly, shouting is injurious to the voice and it is important for an instructor to improve their non-verbal cueing skills and to apply proper vocal rest when needed. If there is to be shouting, let the shouting be a collective plea for ALL instructors to be afforded the safety and protection of a microphone – including aquatic fitness instructors.

Author’s Note: Recently, I have been lucky enough to use the Aqua Buddy by Special Projects Audio. The Buddy is a portable sound system and water proof microphone and it rolls around like a suitcase which makes it extremely convenient to use. The sound from the system and the clarity from the microphone is simply the best I have ever heard! The Buddy has HUGE sound and can even be used in multi-pool complexes and outdoor locations. The system sells for around $2200-$2500 depending upon required features. Good News!!!! Special Projects Audio has introduced The Brat! The Brat is a smaller system that features a sound system and a water proof microphone for around $1100. 

For more information, please contact Special Projects Audio directly: 
E-mail: John Clay, john@ansraudio.com 
Website: www.specialprojectsaudio.com
866-491-2677 

Listed below are some other resources for aquatic fitness professionals.

Stay tuned for the release of Brenda Russell’s Home Study Program in September 2006: Vocal Preservation for the Fitness Instructor. 
For more information you can e-mail Brenda directly: brenruss@bellsouth.net

For a copy of Pauline Ivens’ article, “The Importance of Microphones for Aquatic fitness Professionals,” please e-mail her directly: waterpolly@aol.com

For a copy of Patty Kondub’s article that details creative strategies for visual cueing, please e-mail her directly: nortonpk@aol.com

To review a comprehensive list of symptoms attributed to vocal chord injury, please consult the AEA Aquatic Fitness Professional Manual, new edition, (pg. 190) 
The new and updated manual is a must for all serious-minded professionals and is available through the AKWA Shop: www.aeawave.com

Stay Fit and Motivated!
Mark

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