For the Aquatics Center to be a safe as well as fun place for
families to visit, rules had to be created.
For the Aquatics Center to be a safe as well as fun place for families to visit, rules had to be created.
In developing rules for guests, the aquatics center staff started by looking at standard pool and safety rules from other recreation facilities.
Even common sense rules, such as no running on the pool deck, need to be spelled out, said Recreation Coordinator Theresa Magno.
“It’s really important to think of every possibility and spell it out,” she said. “You hope you have everything covered, but you never know, so that’s one of the reasons you have some generalized statements, and you make it clear the lifeguards must be obeyed.”
Signs spelling out the rules will be posted, according to Magno, around the pools, in the locker rooms and outside the facility.
“These common rules were all taken from other cities and through the actual standards for lifeguards,” she said. “Rules specific to this center we’ve developed ourselves. For example, the slide will have its own set of rules, and all rules were approved by our city attorney.”
The rules are designed to give guidelines to protect the safety of the guests, Magno said.
“We want to be a fun place, but we want to be a safe place,” she said. “The rules will also make it possible for everyone to have fun, not just a group who might be behaving obnoxiously and ruining the visit of others.”
The competition pool will have specific rules, such as only one swimmer is permitted on the diving board at a time, and no twists, inwards, inverted dives, gainers or back flips off the diving board.
General aquatics center rules include the admonishment that the center promotes a family-friendly atmosphere and that the individual is responsible for his or her own safety. Not all rules are “don’t do this”; swimmers will also be told “yes, do” drink plenty of water and use sunscreen.
The center will also have US Coast Guard-approved life jackets for guests to use if they wish; life jackets not USCG-approved will not be permitted.
Laptops will be allowed, away from the pool areas, because South Valley Internet is offering free, with admission – wireless Internet connections to center visitors. The wi-fi service will be available after opening weekend.
