Aquatic Programming: A D.C. Urban Experience.

As a youth growing up in the nation's capital of Washington D.C., one thing was for sure, there were lots of swimming pools to go around. Between our Department of Parks and Recreation city-run and public school-based facilities, there were over 46 available for public use; eleven year-round and thirty-five additional during the summer months. Keep in mind that Washington, D.C., is a little under 10 miles square in size. While city administrators were planning the placement of our pools, they wanted to make sure that no one had to go very far to get to them. Having this many facilities meant having good employment opportunities for high school and college youth as lifeguards and pool managers. It also meant having a problem finding and keeping qualified manager and lifeguards.

A shortage of qualified lifeguards and pool managers is nothing new to the industry. Our way of handling the problem was to offer several lifeguarding courses and to establish our own pool operator's course. As long as the trainee worked for the Department, the fee for the course (about $160.00) would be waived. The Department would hold the employee's certification. If the person decided to work elsewhere, they would buy back their certification and go their way. Next, we offered salaries ranging from $12.00-$16.00 per hour for pool managers and $9.00-$10.00 per hour for lifeguards. For the first time in several years, we had a full complement of over 80 pool managers and assistants and 180 lifeguards.

Over the years, the citizens of the District have made good use of what has been available to them with over 300,000 visitations per year. Most of the pool facilities are over 30 years old, although some have capital improvement renovations. The pools were generally designed as square or rectangular facilities used for public recreational swimming. Many initially had diving boards, but most of them have been removed. There are plans for additional municipal pools that will be of a more contemporary design and better equipped to meet the community's needs.

In order to maximize the use of the Department's pools, specialized aquatic programming will be the key to providing quality services to the youth and other citizens of the city. Hundreds of youths will be able to participate in various levels of swimming lessons, the Department's swim team, diving program, synchronized swimming program, Aqua Day Camp, lifeguard training, and the Annual Black History Invitational Swim Meet. Adults can participate in learn-to-swim lessons and aqua aerobics. If they want to participate in competitive swimming, they can join the Masters Swim Team. Year-round aquatic managers also provide a host of activities that coincide with special holidays and events such as Halloween and the Fourth of July.

Exposing the city's youth, especially those considered "at risk," to the positive directives of specialized aquatic programming, is the main thrust of the Department's Aquatic Program. Over the years, several youths have benefited from their participation in the competitive swimming program by earning college scholarships. Swimming Coach Roger McCoy has watched and assisted with the development of several top age group United States Swimming (USS) and Potomac Valley Swimming Association (PVSA) participants. Coach McCoy feels that "the youth who stick with the regimented routine will develop better--not only physically, but also mentally. I enjoy watching the kids meet the challenge."

Building Self-Esteem and Fitness

Diving coach Brianna Anderson Phillips agrees. Learning the art of springboard diving builds self-esteem and greatly enhances one's health and fitness. Phillips has been diving for 15 years and coaching for 11 years. The beginner's class covers safety and fundamentals and the advance class, while still focusing on safety, takes youth to the level of diving they want to achieve. There are approximately 50 youths that Coach Phillips works with seasonally.

"The main reason I enjoy coaching," Phillips states, "is that I learn so much from the kids while at the same time sharing what I know and love about diving. The greatest joy I get from coaching is seeing the face of a child who has just accomplished a dive that they didn't think that they could do."

Emily Knox, who is new to the Aquatic Program, is anxious to start and develop the Department's first synchronized swimming program. This activity will provide parents with an alternative to competitive swimming and diving. Emily, a long time synchronized swimmer herself, knows that it will not be an easy task to develop a competitive synchro-team from scratch. In the end, she knows that her efforts will be well worth it. The physical fitness benefits and team camaraderie will stay with the participants long after they leave their youthful years.

Recreational programming, regardless of what type it is, should be about raising the quality of life for our youth and participants of all ages. Activities can be designed and developed that will instill leadership, teach discipline, enhance the physical well being, and build team cohesiveness.

It does the soul good when you run into one of your former lifeguards or swim team members when you're out at the grocery store, or at a town meeting and they tell you that they have become a doctor, lawyer, or have some other successful occupation. What makes one's day is when they remember you and the opportunities they were given to learn from their roles as lifeguards, coaches, and team members. It is good to know that you may have had a part in helping them along the way.

Benjamin McCottry, a graduate of Howard University, currently serves as the chief of leisure services for the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation. His oversights include the Therapeutic Recreation Branch, Senior Services, Aquatic Services, and Environmental Services. Over the past 28 years, he has served as chief of aquatic programming, chief of senior services, special assistant to the administrator, and administrator of special programs administration. He provides in-house consultation for aquatic facility design. He is also a former Red Cross instructor trainer of water safety, CPR, and first aid. He lends his observations and knowledge of aquatic programs.