Fun at the Pool

As you may know, I used to go on rigorous swimming training every summer.  From time to time, my mother would bring me to one of my favourite pools where I actually get to play instead of being trained to swim effectively, efficiently and build stamina at the same time.

I have been to community swimming pools in the Greater Toronto Area as well as in Hong Kong (where I was born).  The community swimming pools in Hong Kong are a lot bigger than the ones I have visited in the Greater Toronto Area.  For example, the length of the swimming pools are much longer in Hong Kong also when you pay your admission fees, you have access to four swimming pools instead of one swimming pool with two little specialty pools (ie. kid pool, therapy pool).  Maybe the pools seemed a lot bigger to me because I was a child in Hong Kong.  I am not too sure, I have not swam in Hong Kong since childhood.

Let's not think about the size of the swimming pools because what I miss in a community swimming pool is not the size of the pool.  My favourite swimming pool in Hong Kong was in Chai Wan.  When I was a child, one of the pool had a lot of playground playset in it.  I remember pretending to be a frog and hopping across lily pads.  I remember sliding out of a tongue of a crocodile. I remember swinging across the pool over ropes like a monkey on vines.  This was a swimming pool I frequented.  It was definitely an affordable community pool and not an amusement park like the waterpark in Wonderland (which is very fun).

I am writing this down because I hope some developer, architect, urban planner will come across my blog and be inspired!  It is lovely that I have memories of playing in such a fun swimming pool.  I remember my commute to the swimming pool wasn't that bad at all and it was so much fun.  I have yet to see a swimming pool like this in a community swimming pool in the Greater Toronto Area.

The other day, as I was driving around my community, I saw a playground that I thought would work very well in a swimming pool.  I did not snap a picture but I manage to find one online so I will post that picture.

Today, while thinking about this swimming pool that I miss and sort of want to recreate my own version of, I thought about how you could start a non-for-profit organization with a mission to bring new elements to new swimming pools being build in new communities.  Maybe the first task would be to visit existing play areas and play grounds as well as swimming pools!  Once you are done with your research and development, now you can start thinking about the additional cost it would take to add this new element in then maybe you can start fundraising and try to convince people that your idea is a good one and be appreciated by generations to come.

The creative process is a fun one though because it is cheap and almost free of charge.  Let your imagination run wild and see how much you can get away with in reality.