Sean C. Morgan
The Sweet Home Community Pool is expanding recreational swimming opportunities as part of its new summer schedule, which gets under way just after school gets out.
“I’m looking to offer some new programs,” said Aquatics Director Gretchen Daugherty. She is planning to spread out recreation and play times more evenly through the week. Right now, play time is only available on Fridays at 1 and 7 p.m.
During the summer, rec swim will be held at 1 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays and 7 p.m. on Thursdays.
Family swim will continue into the summer at 7 p.m. on Tuesday nights. Parents are required to get into the pool with their children during that time slot.
“There’s a play swim opportunity almost every day except Wednesday,” Daugherty said.
On June 14, she is offering a new two-week life guard training course open to the public, for up to six students. The training is open on a first-come, first-served basis.
An adult swim clinic begins in June, Daugherty said. The four-week class is held once per week. It targets beginner to intermediate adults and triathletes who want to refine their strokes or learn new strokes.
The course can be tailored to their individual needs, Daughtery said. “My goal is to meet those individual needs if they have something they want to work on.”
Lap swims, adult exercise time, will go from four to five days per week, from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Three sessions of swim lessons begin on June 17. The second begins on July 8 and the third on July 22.
Swim lessons last two weeks, 20 to 30 minutes between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Monday through Thursday.
Children may be eligible for a scholarship to pay the fee for group swimming lessons if they qualify for the school lunch program.
Sweet Home Swim Club activities will continue into the summer, Daugherty said. Former Aquatics Director Junia Calhoon coaches that program.
The club will offer pre-competition swimming this summer, Daugherty said. The pre-competition swimming is for children who are not quite ready for the club but have taken swimming lessons.
The Sweet Home Swim Club is open to youth ages 7 and older who can swim a length of the 25-yard pool freestyle and backstroke. For more information, contact Calhoon at (541) 367-4327.
The pool has been funded by a local option levy through School District 55 since November.
“I feel like things have gone well,” said Daugherty, who was hired this school year to run the pool. “The last couple of months our attendance records have gone up.”
The times on Friday have been popular, Daugherty said. The word has gotten out, and the Boys and Girls Club has been taking advantage of the Friday programs too.
Total attendance from May 1 to May 24 was 890 in all programs.
Her focus has been to meet the needs of the community, she said, so she’s trying to develop more variety and opportunity.
“I’m just kind of taking things one step at a time,” Daugherty said. “I’m looking forward to working with all of the groups. I’m just really excited to introduce a couple of new programs here and there.”
The pool will close for annual maintenance in August for two to three weeks.
For more information about the pool and its programs, contact Daugherty at (541) 367-7169.