Posted on 07/17/2005 6:52:20 PM PDT by Rodney King
BENTONVILLE — An unpleasant mess forced a one-day break in this weekend’s annual Colgate Summer Classic at the Melvin Ford Aquatic Center swimming pool at Memorial Park.
Wal-Mart Swim Club coach Steve Duwel had to postpone Saturday’s events, which were scheduled to start at 9 a.m., when feces was found in the pool early Saturday morning. "We were here and all of a sudden one of my swimmers said ‘What’s that?’" It wasn’t just a little bit, it was a lot, "Duwel said." I’m not going to go into details but it was a huge mess. "
Duwel said members of the 12 teams competing this weekend started showing up as he was cleaning the pool. The center’s maintenance crew came out, cleaned the pool and put in chemicals to help clean the water. Duwel said the water had to run through the filters a certain number of times — which would take about 12 hours — before the pool could be used again.
Corporal Tim Marta of the Bentonville Police Department said the vandalism is being investigated.
" Pool personnel found what they believed to be dog feces in the pool, "Marta said." They closed the pool down for the rest of the day. We don’t know yet how it get there. It is still being investigated. "
The meet will continue in its entirety today, starting at about 8 a.m. The 13-and-over swimmers will have back-to-back sessions, starting with today’s original and followed by Saturday’s order of events. The 12-and-under division will follow with today’s schedule and Saturday’s schedule, beginning around noon.
Swimmers will compete in two age groups — 12-and-under and 13-and-over — but will be scored in different age levels: 8-and-under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, and 15-and-over.
" It’ll be a marathon (today), "Duwel said." Swimmers could swim 10 events if they wanted to. I’m scratching some of my kids from events that they don’t really need to be doing so it will be more manageable. I don’t have anybody doing more than five events (today). "
The first three events of the meet were held Friday night and Duwel had wondered if he should be worried about anyone sneaking in after he left.
" Last night as I was closing up I thought maybe I should leave the lights on just to deter anyone from coming in, "Duwel said." We cleared the deck of everything except for tables and chairs and we thought if they come in here and throw stuff in the water — which has happened before — that it wouldn’t hurt anything. I didn’t think they’d do something like that. "
Duwel said people sometimes climb the fence around the pool after hours and swim. He said there have been instances when garbage or other things have been thrown in the pool, but never something that contaminated the water.
" A few weeks ago there were a couple of huge piles of dog dung on the deck but not in the pool, "he said.
" I didn’t think anyone would go that far to do something that would cause us to have to shut the whole thing down. "
Duwel said the pool has been shut down before because of an accident but not vandalism.
" It’s happened before — sometimes a little kid will crap in the pool or something, "Duwel said." And we have to shut down the pool and clean it up. Stuff happens. But not before a competition. It’s just a huge inconvenience. "
The Wal-Mart Swim Club did well in the events held Friday night.
Brandy Sandlin, Alyssa Potter, Brittany Potter and Bethany Haefner took four of the top five spots in the 15-and-over 50-meter breaststroke.
Kaylea Hinds finished fourth in the same event in the 13-14 division.
On the boys’ side, Ben Suchy and Gregory Murray finished 1-2 in the 13-14 division 50 breaststroke while Chris Hyatt and Nathan Hinds did the same in the older division.
Kelsie Garrett took first in the 13-14 division of the 1,500-meter freestyle for WMSC. Lonnie Strange (Razorback Aquatic Club) and Thomas Bullock (Tideriders) won the event overall for the girls’ and boys’ divisions.
WMSC also won seven of the nine age divisions of the 400 freestyle. Eun Chon (Girls 8-and-under), Alexa Tininenko (Girls 9), Maggie Pickhardt (Girls 12), Brandon Haefner (Boys 9), Jonathan Moseley (Boys 10), Justin Potter (Boys 11) and Pearson Gean (Boys 12) scored points for WMSC in their divisions.
I like it when people are straitforward.
It was their doody to clean it up.
Pingage!
Doodie in the pool!
Been awhile since a good pool poopy thread.
"Poop-poop be doop - bad doggie!"
Hi-de-ho boys and girls!!
Tagline material...almost. Anyway, it's the best quote I've read in a news story today.
"DOOKIE!!!!!"
I can't believe the guy said it ping.
Even if they couldn't swim, they could still go through the movements.
Duwel knows doo-doo.
That is pretty funny!
A couple of years ago, we went to WDW in Orlando. The first day we were just going to kick back at the Radisson offsite and hang out by this great pool, had a cool slide and everything. Had been planning this afternoon for weeks.
When we checked in, there was yellow tape all around the pool. Some kid had #@#$ in the pool, and it was closed for the day.
What luck.
Come on down to the pool and ride the big spud!
Not the kid's fault - you constantly hear people saying not to pee in the pool..... never do I hear anyone give further instructions. ;^)
I wonder if they had a lifeguard on doody.
hilarious!
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