Swimming up stream towards a longer and healthier life, part 3

With the recent closure of Prairie Lodge’s indoor pool but the opening of Meadowview’s outdoor pool each morning at 9 a.m. sharp, three swimmers can be seen beginning their daily morning exercise routine for the purpose of gaining specific swim health benefits (described in Part 1 and Part 2 on this topic). John Horak has discovered that his 45 minute swim workout has proven to control his high diabetes numbers. Joanna Garand has found that her 1 mile lap swimming exercise aids in alleviating her neck and back pain. I, Joanie Koplos, know that, through my weekly 7 day routine, swimming has become an alternative method to taking meds for arthritis discomfort.

But what can Sun Citians do if they are non-swimmers? The simple answer to that question is “Learn to swim properly.”

Fourteen members of the Stingrays Swim Club recently visited with Adolph Kiefer, the 96 year old former Gold Medal Backstroke Olympian, at his Zion located swim equipment store bearing his name. “Teach the world to swim!” Mr. Kiefer instructed the Sun City seniors as he sent us out to help him accomplish his lifelong mission. Thus, April’s and July’s “Learn to Swim Clinics” held at Prairie Lodge’s indoor pool, under the leadership of Terry Hora and assisted by Stingray members, became our Sun City’s swim club’s answer to Adolph’s command. With Adolph Kiefer and his wife, Joyce, still swimming daily at the ages of 96 and 94 years old respectively, swimming has surely proven itself to be a sport for “ALL AGES!” It definitely is never too old to learn to swim properly and to reap the sport’s multitude of health aids, not to mention the benefit of possibly saving one’s own life or that of others in a future water emergency. At least 14 individuals began their conquest of the sport throughout the clinics’ two months’ total of 10 Wednesdays. One July clinic enthusiast, Lily Georgantas, stated “Very Good – I’ll now practice on my own.” Darlene Grandolfo agreed “My experience has been fantastic! I learned to put my head in the water and blow out air through my mouth and nose.” Many of the novice swimmers had lived with “a fear of the water” most of their lives. In fact, Lai Ming Ma expressed that fear, “I would panic when I walked close to a pool….” Yvonne Brown added, “I put my face in the water and learned to follow the blue line [centered at the bottom of each lap area].” She continued, “I’m amazed at myself. I almost drowned when I was 7 – now at 69, I’m learning to swim!”

Those Sun Citians interested in future swim programs should look in the coming months for clinic information in the Sun Day newspaper, Lifestyles magazine, on P.L’s hall front bulletin board, and in the Stingrays’ glass case near the pool’s front check-in desk. You may also ask info of swim club members wearing their red club swim caps while swimming.

Although all users of pools have exposure to germs through their skin and other orifices (openings such as anal and rectal areas), swimmers must be “The watchdogs of Sun City’s pools” due to the fact that germs can also enter their bodies through their ears, eyes, nose, and throat. Many pool maintenance factors must be carefully adhered to by management for proper healthy swim benefits to take place.

According to USASwimming.org, because air and water temperatures of indoor pools especially affect each other, ideal water temps for a varying population of water exercisers as found in Sun City-Huntley should range between 83 degrees to 86 degrees. Air must be maintained at 78 to 80 degrees; the larger the surface area, as found in P.L.’s indoor pool, the more the water will try to heat the air and add humidity. At no time should water temperature in any of our swim pools be higher than 86 degrees due to the possibility of hyperthermia, a condition which can quickly lead to the very deadly heat stroke, especially among swimmers doing more intense aquatic workouts. Proper filtration of air and water both is so important for proper disposal of the residuals of chlorine, chloromines that can adversely affect seniors’ lungs and eyes. The proper chemical balance to assure optimum functioning of chlorine present should be carefully checked twice daily. It is critical that management continue to educate new pool personnel/managers in ways to safely maintain our pools for all of us. All management employees working in pool areas should have “an open door policy” for inquiries from all swimmers!

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