Posted on 06/30/2003 5:05:41 PM PDT by hole_n_one
Edited on 04/13/2004 2:35:14 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
PHILADELPHIA -- The diving boards were pulled up in the 1980s, and now deep ends are being deep-sixed.
The rectangular municipal pool that many Americans grew up swimming, splashing and diving in is fast being replaced by shallow water park-style pools featuring spray toys and water slides.
(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...
Sure, at one end of the olympic-sized pool there's a large semi-enclosed kiddie area. But the main pool gradually deepens, fully half is about 6 or more feet deep, and adjoining the deep end is a diving board "cube" about 30 X 30 X 15 feet deep.
You can tell by the marks on the cement they once had a tremendous trio of diving boards of all heights. All gone...
Remember high dives??!!
Remember when Americans were allowed to be BOLD!!!!!!
And a shallower pool will get warmer too, so there will be *more* evaporation. It will get warmer for a couple of reasons, the major one being that the amount of heat coming in from the sun will be the same, but there will be more water to heat up in a deeper pool. Plus the water will loose energy to the surrounding soil, at least at much depth it will, and a deeper pool has more area at depth to lose heat through.
But then liberals don't really think, they just "feel", especially "For the Children".
Isn't there a similar facility out in Manteca? A bit of a drive I know, but maybe a once or twice a season treat. There's also a water park in Concord.
Now you have to take your kids secretly to some cliff or tree to have anything like that experience.
Boldness is a masculine trait that could lead to risk-taking behavior. Risk-taking behavior might possibly be rewarded with success. This outcome would make the kids who do not take risks and do not acheive success feel bad about themselves and this might damage their self-esteem. Therefore, boldness should not be encouraged (especially in boys).
Is the </sarcasm> tag really neccessary?
Our "muni" pool (that's what we called it) was rectangular about 2:1 ratio, with one entire long side being a sloped suface from zero to whatever the max depth (outside of the diving area) was. IIRC (it's only be 45 years or so) it was that same depth everywhere else outside the sloped and diving areas. It had a separate "kiddie" pool that an adult or older kid couldn't even float in. It also had 3 diving boards, two low and one high (10 feet I think). It was pretty deep down there, 12 feet maybe, maybe 14.
The newer pools, save one, were "L" shaped, with the deep end in the short arm of the "L", and no high board. That "one" was a simple rectangle, with 3 boards in the same configuration, but no "gradual entry. The older one pre-dated WW-II, but I don't know how much, it's a parking lot now, althought the "bath house" is still there. The second one was built in the mid 1950s and the "L"s staring in the late 50s or early 60s. Last I checked, (in march) the nearest "L" to my folks house (about 5 blocks) was still there. I'll never forget the summer before high school when Bonnie I. lost the top to her two piece suit in the deep end. :)
Now now, there some kinds of "fun" liberal seem to approve of. Wilding, mid-night basketball, and non-standard sex come to mind.
I saw one by the therapy pool at the physical therapists earlier today!. That pool is only 6 feet deep, maybe 6'6, but you could easily hit your head on the opposite side if you dived much less than straight down. Still they had the sign, and the depth marking too. Wish they'd let me use, but I just go in to have my shoulder tortured 3 times a week. :)
Whether you are correct or not, you see, *I* don't get plenty of swimming in 5 or 6 feet of water. I like to swim with my children. My five year-old is also a good swimmer and although 5 to 6 feet is adequate for him (now), even at 5'4" it's rather shallow for me to do a descent tuck dive. I'd like to teach him someday, but I'm not cracking my head on the bottom of the pool to do so.
My five year-old loves diving to the bottom after various objects. Our three foot hot tub is pathetically shallow. Two more feet makes it a bit more exciting for now, but it won't be long before he's capable and interested in going deeper.
I agree 5 or 6 feet may be adequate, but who in the world wants to live with adequate when superior is possible?
When I got my first job, they put us up in the nearby hotel for a few days so we could look for a place to live. We found and put in contract on a house the first day of Memorial Day weekend, so we had two days to just lay around the pool and get in some laps AND DIVING. Courtsy of that diving, I got to spend my first few days on the job on crutches. :) Never thought to sue the Ramada people, nor my employer for putting us up in such a "dangerous" motel. I wasn't even covered by their insurance yet, since I didn't start work until Tuesday. We did get a "nice" (??) intro to the hospital were our second daughter was subseqently born, and were several of the family had various operations.
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