Instead of focusing on fake

By Ron Ciancutti

Most days I take the same on-ramp at the same highway intersection. On this particular day, I was greeted by a giant orange sign that warned me of a “Flagman Ahead.” There wasn’t. In fact, the area looked like construction was going to begin because of the machinery parked all over, but there were no workers in sight. Perhaps they were just “staging” the job site, but shouldn’t they have waited to put the “Flagman Ahead” sign up until it really applied? It was almost two weeks before a flagman was on-site, and by that time probably everyone was ignoring the sign.

Prepare coaches and parents to respond to medical emergencies

By John Engh

Fewer than 48 hours into the New Year, fans watching the final Monday Night Football game of the season between Cincinnati and Buffalo saw a chilling scene when the Bills’ Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field and medical personnel rushed to tend to him. 

Advice on navigating the road ahead with a sense of purpose

By Anthony Iracki

By most accounts and standards, a young professional is someone who is deemed “35 and younger.” While I will take that assessment for my own benefit (who wants to admit they’re getting older?) I will also honor what I see as a time-honored tradition among my colleagues and use my recent 35th birthday as a moment to “bow out” from this designation while remaining present in its purpose. In other words, while my age may say I am one, my reflection in the mirror, position in life, experiences, and feeling in my gut tell me otherwise. I’m not saying I’m old. I’m just saying that, when I look at the students, interns, and young adults coming into the field today, I feel more like a big brother/middle child ready to guide them through the early stages of their career instead of being in the trenches with them.

Upgrades and enhancements provide incentives for patrons to return

By John Dzarnowski

To remain relevant and attract visitors, municipal aquatic centers must make upgrades and add interest despite the challenges presented by budget constraints and the fluctuations brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of forced closures of facilities, many aquatic leaders lost revenue, and funding for programs was cut, although some cities have managed to pass referenda during that time to start projects. The majority of these projects are upgrades to refurbish older facilities by adding to or renovating the existing infrastructure to align with current trends. Such projects are a real challenge and offer unique opportunities for leaders to optimize facilities. Here’s how.

It’s not just for seniors

By Sue Nelson

There are more than 3-million U.S. fitness professionals helping more than 73-million Americans stay healthy through exercise, according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association. The fitness industry plays a central and essential role in promoting and maintaining mental, physical, and social health and well-being. 

Developing a risk-management program to prevent accidents in aquatic facilities

By Gerry Dworkin

Drowning is a significant health concern within the U.S., and is one of the leading causes of unintentional-injury deaths for people of all ages. Drowning is the third-leading cause of unintentional-injury death for children ages 14 and under, and the second-leading cause of death from all causes for children under 4 years old. According to the National Swimming Pool Foundation, “Water is a foreign environment, and immersion into this environment is potentially dangerous for humans.” Therefore, it is critical that anyone responsible for any type of aquatic venue must establish, implement, and maintain appropriate drowning- and aquatic injury-prevention strategies as part of a risk-management program.

According to the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, managers and operators must:

• Recognize the risks associated with water-related activities and/or venues
• Implement strategies to reduce and manage the risks
• Responsibly maintain those strategies.

To provide a safe environment for swimming and other aquatic activities, a person must know the safety practices and standards. All too often, a manager or operator relies solely on state health codes to determine the operational protocols necessary to safeguard the swimming public. However, health codes are only minimum standards. When it comes to safety, the minimum is only one small step above inadequate. 

Today’s aquatic facilities are more welcoming and inclusive

By Mary Helen Sprecher

Swimming pools are as much a part of summer as the end of school, Popsicles, and bright, sunny days. And with the worst of the pandemic in the rear-view mirror, it’s time for those facilities to welcome back the crowds.

Or is it? Nationwide, pools have undergone plenty of changes to become more inclusive and user-friendly—meaning they welcome users at all levels of ability. Has your pool kept up? A number of trends have been at work, and they have, overall, changed the face of swimming pools.

First, to be absolutely clear, the traditional pool—a rectangular body of water with a deep end and a shallow end, racing lanes, a diving board or two, and maybe even a slide—isn’t going anywhere. It definitely has its place in the park, and in the community as a whole. It’s a great place for conducting leagues, teaching lessons, having district-wide swim meets, and hosting swim time for day camps and other programs. And, after work hours, adults find a pool a fun place at which to socialize and relax, and a nice opportunity for swimmers to get in some lap time. 

When combined with other sports and recreational facilities—picnic areas, beach volleyball courts, and playgrounds—the traditional swimming pools can be a true community hub. But changes are afoot and should be noted. In some cases, these are driven by the need for facilities to be more inclusive.

#SplashSavvy Campaign aims to assist in a drowning emergency

By Kevin Goodrich and Vic Hathaway

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 4,000 unintentional drownings occur in the United States every year. The town of Marana, Ariz., hopes to reduce that number.

As someone in a position of responsibility to contribute to decreasing the number of drownings as the town’s Aquatics Recreation Supervisor, I created the award-winning campaign #SplashSavvy. It teaches adults, teens, and children how to respond to a drowning emergency, and includes infographics, tools, and video guides.

There are others working to combat the staggering drowning statistics in both Arizona and the nation, including the inspiring #WaterYouDoing? Drowning-prevention campaign from the city of Chandler, Ariz. But when it came to creating a campaign for Marana, I wanted to try something different.

Examine supporting facilities for a positive user experience

By Stephanie Fujimura

Most people who think about accessibility in aquatic facilities probably consider pool features such as lifts, ramps, and stairs. While aquatic function is the primary purpose of such a facility, they should not overlook the role that supporting facilities play in the overall user experience. A holistic facility is more inclusive and thus can be enjoyed by all users, irrespective of physical abilities.