The Columbia Association (CA) is indeed fortunate to have each of you as part of the Aquatics Program. CA is fortunate to attract individuals that are leaders in school and in their social endeavors, leaders on the sports fields, and leaders in the community.

Every position is essential to the successful operation of the pools. Whether you are a lifeguard, head guard, assistant manager, manager, swim coach, lesson instructor, supervisor or hold multiple positions, you contribute to one of the most popular and valued parts of the Columbia Association. Every year it seems that the quality of our programs, facilities and staff improves and last year was no exception and I am convinced this coming summer will again be the best ever!

Those of you who work at the indoor facilities are also aware of the popularity of our year-round programs. Lap swimming, the CAA Swim Team, water aerobics, lessons, SplashDown (when it is working!) and just good old fashioned family/recreation swim all are great programs and activities and have high participation.

Most of you are probably aware of the Aquatics Master Plan that has been under development since the spring. This plan will provide CA with a road map to future programs and facilities and really has been developed through a terrific process of community input. The plan will be presented to the CA Board shortly after the first of the year.

I wish each of you a successful winter and look forward to seeing you again as we launch the summer pools again!

Regards,

Bob Bellamy
Division Director
Sport & Fitness

Happy holidays to everyone! I hope this newsletter finds you enjoying the last few weeks of 2011. We have had a busy off-season so far at the Aquatics office and as a result we are planning many exciting changes for the 2012 summer season.

First, let's welcome Kristen Groves to our full-time aquatic supervisor team as the new aquatics programing coordinator. Kristen will oversee indoor and outdoor swim lessons, the Masters Swim program and the Junior Lifeguard program. She will also work with the team to develop additional new aquatics programs for us.

Second, this year promises to start with the implementation of an entirely new computer system designed to make our lives easier and improve the efficiency of our operations. The software is from a company called CSI and the current application name is Phoenix. Many of the new features of this program will greatly benefit the aquatics department including online swim lesson registration, snack bar point of sale tracking, electronic closeouts, member pictures on the screen and the ability to accept credit cards at the pools. Learn more...

Each year as summer approaches, the Columbia Association (CA) Aquatics Department begins the recruiting and selection process for new and returning professional lifeguards to work for the pools. At CA, workplace safety is paramount so all lifeguards go through a certification or re-certification training process with Jeff Ellis & Associates before orientation. To ensure that lifeguards stay continuously mindful about safety and maintain certification standards, an ongoing four hours of in-service training are required each month.

CA recognizes that all lifeguards are well trained, especially in the area of keeping members safe. We strive to create and foster a safe environment for everyone at all times. To achieve this goal, everyone is expected to come on board and participate in our vision to maintain an accident and injury-free environment for our members and team members alike. To contribute to this effort, be mindful that safety is interpersonal and interdependent where everyone depends on each other. Safety is more than a personal matter--everyone's participation is significant and necessary. Learn more...

Undertaking an Aquatics Master Plan is a lot like planning for a marathon or other long-distance event – many things go into successfully crossing the finish line and achieving a successful end result. We've been working on the Aquatics Master Plan all this year and just like athletes preparing for a big event, we've spent lots of time preparing. That includes laying out a process and tweaking it along the way to get to the desired end. It also includes learning from other aquatics experts around the county (see sidebar on our Aquatics Industry Trends Report) and from our local residents, members and pool users (read about our fall 2011 public meetings below). Think of all these interactions with experts and pool users and community members as training and coaching sessions. We have learned a lot from these individuals about how to enhance our pools and programming, how to do things better and more efficiently, and how to serve a large and diverse population that's passionate about pools, while keeping up our high standards for the facilities, programming and staffing.

We are now near the final event and the excitement and anticipation are mounting. We are preparing the draft plan and including recommendations for the pools to be implemented over the next 10-20 years. We're reviewing the plan with our citizens' task force and getting ready to share it the public and the CA Board in late January 2012. The plan will have recommendations based on all of our preparation and engagement. It will address CA's 23 outdoor pools (well it's really 46 pools if we include all the outdoor wading pools but who's counting, right?) and our indoor facilities at the Swim Center, Athletic Club, Supreme Sports Club and Columbia Gym. We've thought about a lot of important questions: How can we increase the number of adults and children who know how to swim? Should we build more indoor pool space? What should CA do with SplashDown? Can we find a way to have an indoor 50-meter pool? How should we address the issue of low visitation at some of our pools?

We're prepared. Our process has been rigorous and our civic engagement expansive. We've set the bar high and we are ready to go. We'll see you at the finish line for a cold beverage and a fist pump or two. For more information and to stay up-to-date as we cross the finish line in the months ahead, visit ColumbiaAssociation.org/AquaticsMasterPlan.

WMS Aquatics, a design build contractor and equipment supplier for the commercial swimming pool industry, mentioned the Columbia Association and our Aquatics Master Plan in their November newsletter. They said our master planning efforts are a great example of true leadership in the aquatics industry! Click here to check out the newsletter online.