With summer break approaching, many students are getting themselves ready for the openings of their summer pools. These community/neighborhood pools have been around for years in the Virginia area, and students have also been going to these pools for many years. Some examples of these pools include: Sleepy Hollow Bath and Racquet, Parklawn Pool, Forest Hollow, Lincolnia, and North Springfield.
“I’m a member of the North Springfield Swim Club, [and have been] basically since COVID-19 and the past six years…it gets me out of the house instead of laying on my couch all day,” junior Caiden Dalton said.
Dalton is both a swimmer on North Springfield’s swim team and a lifeguard for the pool as well. He enjoys being a part of the team because of the exercise he gets from it and the overall team community.
“The pool has a really good community of people to hang around [with]. People are always down to support whatever’s going on at the pool, willing to help out a lot and donate.” Dalton said. “There’s a lot of activities happening that go on in the pool, like cup pong or cornhole.”
As for junior Molly Corcoran, she’s been swimming since she was a baby, and has a lot of memories growing up around the pool. She also enjoys North Springfield for its community and friendly atmosphere.
“I think it’s a really nice environment. I’ve known most of the people there since I’ve grown up. Over the winter, I’m one of the swim coaches for their swim team, so I get to see a lot of my students when I go there, which is really fun,” Corcoran said. “It’s really fun to go over in the evenings and watch the sunset as I hang out with my friends.”
As a coach and swimmer for the pool’s summer team, Corcoran takes part in being an active member of the pool and the many fun benefits that come with it.
“I think the swim team’s really nice. It’s a fun environment. On Fridays we have ‘Friday Fun Days’ where we do a lot of games, relays, and then we have pancakes afterward.” Corcoran said. “I think that builds a lot of good communities within the pool.
For both Dalton and Corcoran, lifeguarding, coaching and being a part of a team are all important parts of what that life is like.
“I will spend a lot of time there this summer and I have historically [spent that time] for work,” Corcoran said. “But I also come with my friends since it is open and that’s just an easy way to hang out with my friends over the summer.”
As for recommending a place like North Springfield to other students, both Dalton and Corcoran agree that it’s important to have some place like a pool to go to over the summer.
“It depends on the type of person they are,” Dalton said. “Overall I’d say yeah, if they wanna get out and do stuff over the summer, they should definitely go to a pool.”
It’s important to know that these types of swim clubs can be pricey, however some alternatives could be Audrey Moore Rec Center, which while it’s not a summer-exclusive pool, it’s still affordable and works well for families.
“Not only is it good that you can have a place for you to have fun and just relax,” Corcoran said. “It’s also a place to have that opportunity to sometimes work or maybe volunteer or bepart of, bingo nights and [games] like that. [Pools] are always fun.”