The best moments of my young life came at summer pools. I made lifelong friendships, in fact the majority of my close circle of friends were lifeguards and swimmers. I would wake up at the crack of dawn to be the first person at the pool at 7am, and would be the last one out at 9pm, 7 days per week. Oh except Wednesdays, when they had to force us go home at 2pm to relax before that night’s dual swim meet. Once we dilly-dallied on meet day, and got chased out with a baseball bat (true story). Even to this day I am involved in the summer pools, whether for our family membership, or through my business.
At the time of this writing, the covid crisis is at its peak in Montreal, Quebec, then upside is on the horizon. A plan for gradual return to new-normal is an ongoing discussion. Gradual is the key word. Logic dictates that businesses that are more necessary and that can respect social distancing will be opened first. Also, activities and events – gatherings of any nature really – will likely be some of the last items to be given the green light.
It has been 18 years since summer pools became a regular staple during my summers. It was never a thought that this staple of summer, of childhood, of life could simply not happen. This summer there is a very strong likelihood that public pools may not open. 3 of 5 typical programs offered at a summer pool (swimming, water polo, synchro, diving, first aid) involve teams working together and thus lost of close contact. Summer pools are busy places, especially on hot days they can get packed. And there are not the only reasons, but likely enough to indicate that summer pools should be put on notice, as well as all the people involved in them. It is possible that with sufficient social distancing measures some pools may be permitted to open, but it’s a long shot.
The Friendships
As I can attest to personally, lifelong friendships are created at summer pools. Communities are knit, you experience and share a passion with the same group of people during the best months of the year. You are outdoors and active.
Summers are a huge release valve for everyone. For those who depend on summer pools, the loss will be significant. If I were still 8 to 15 years old, looking forward to summer, and then finding out the pools would not open, I would be devastated. Now, people are resourceful and optimism is growing, so I’m sure summer pool members will find other activities and ways to pass the summer. Also, everyone knows true friendship will survive thick and thin, including a summer of no swimming pools.
But the tragedy of it.
Employment for Lifeguards
This will rapidly become the loudest conversation in lifeguard circles. Summer pools employ thousands of lifeguards and instructors across the Montreal area. What will all these lifeguards and swim instructors do? The supply will overwhelm the demand, and hundreds of lifeguards will be out of work. Fortunately in the short term it becomes and opportunity for these individuals to explore new passions and develop new specialties.
On a more important note, what about the lifeguard bonding and friendships that won’t be made or strengthened. Your summer co-workers were family, in fact closer than family during the summer. When I used to work as a summer lifeguard, I would again spend every day, yes even days off, at the pool hanging out with the other lifeguards. Then hang out all night, wake up, and repeat. It would also be tragic to strip that away for a summer. But it too, is such a strong and unique bond that I am confident friendships and relationships will come back stronger.
Where Will Kids Swim?
As backyard pools and some beaches will be open for swimming, kids will still be swimming. In Quebec, drowning is the leading cause of preventable deaths among children 5 years and younger. With the shortage of available swim classes to teach lifesaving swimming skills, this summer there is potential for an increase in accidental drowning deaths.
The majority of Montreal’ers take advantage of local municipal pools for their swimming services in the summer, namely swim lessons. If this option is removed from the table, where will they go? Demand for swim lessons will skyrocket, and thousands of parents who count on their local swimming pool for swim lessons will turn to non-traditional providers, like private swim schools and other non-municipal providers. Prime services like at-home swim classes will be hugely in demand as well, if they can meet the likely stringent social distancing requirements to ensure everyone’s safety.
What Will Happen to Summer Pools?
Anyone who grew up, or is growing up, in the West Island (of Montreal) summer pool scene can attest to this. Tight-knit summer pool leagues like the North-Shore Aquatic Association (NAA) or the Association of Lakeshore Pools (ALPS) have been feeling the impact of a less-sporty-and-more-technologically-inclined generation of children and teenagers. Simply put, kids have been spending less and less time outdoors in summers. Pool memberships are dwindling, and several pools have been closed or merged in recent years.
Factor in that these money-losing, ageing pools are funded by cities under increased financial pressure to reduce costs, summer pools are undoubtedly being considered more and more expendable in municipal administrative circles. Pools, which, may sit unused and un-maintained for an extra year.
Suddenly there could exist a scenario where some of these pools may not be re-opened in 2021, and instead follow the trend of their late brothers and sisters, and become replaced by a splash pad (which are cool but not nearly as meaningful to the community, and that is a whole other story). While I truly believe in the strength of this summer pool community to come together if need be to save the culture, it’s a scary thought to think how the ongoing crisis may have a permanent affect on the summer pool scene.
