As construction teams shore up the walls supporting the Greenbelt Aquatic & Fitness Center’s (GAFC) filter room, Stephen Parks, supervisor, reminds people dreaming of summer fun to remember lessons they learned in kindergarten. Particularly about sharing.
Legacy of Community
Greenbelt’s public pool originally opened on Memorial Day 1939, and at the time was the only public pool in Maryland. As the weather heats up, Greenbelt residents will be able to head to the outdoor pool to cool off as it reopens for its 85th Memorial Day. During summer weekends and on holidays, when the pool is likely to be popular, visitors must be passholders or Greenbelt residents. Summer memberships became available for purchase on May 1.
Safety First
The Aquatic Center has been grappling with patrons attempting to use the pool without appropriate swimming attire, wishing to swim in street clothes or underwear, for example. Increased signage now reminds visitors of the requirement for swimming suits/trunks.
While safety always comes first at the pool, staff are trained to encourage an atmosphere of welcoming to bathers of all ages, abilities, expertise and speeds.
GAFC even has its own pool water safety coloring and activity book, which caregivers can download at tinyurl.com/449d486u.
Rules of the Pool
Swimmers of all levels of experience are encouraged to learn or refresh themselves on the rules of the pool. They include selecting the lane most appropriate to one’s swimming speed, circle swimming in a counter-clockwise direction when sharing a lane and not changing lanes by slipping under the ropes. Suggestions for how to pass courteously include tapping the foot of the swimmer ahead, slowing down by the rope to allow another to pass and stopping at the wall to allow faster swimmers to pass if there’s congestion. Guidance for lap sharing can be found at tinyurl.com/23k4bhpr.
Though it’s too early to know the camp schedule, it is likely that younger patrons will visit as a group on summer afternoons between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
On the City of Greenbelt website, GAFC staff encourages patrons to “smile and enjoy your workout. When we work together lap swimming can be a wonderful experience for all levels of need and fitness.”
Parks reminds swimmers in Greenbelt to tune their inner Bluetooth to Aretha Franklin. Building community is all about R-E-S-P-E-C-T.