| 2015 Q2 | story by KATHERINE DIAZ | photos by STEVEN HERTZOG |

Lawrence Outdoor Aquatics Center has a variety of swimming lessons for all ages.
Take a splash back to the summer of 1969. While the country was jammin’ out to “Sugar, Sugar” by The Archies, Lawrence was completing the construction of its outdoor pool specifically – and conveniently – located downtown on Vermont Street.
“Swimming pools, traditionally when they were built back in the 50s and 60s, were built in the commercial hub, the downtown area, at a park or a place of gathering,” said Jimmy Gibbs, Recreation Operations Manager for the Lawrence Parks and Recreation.
Swimming is a popular activity among adults and children during the summer, and by the time children go back to school, most would have visited a swimming pool or engaged in a water-related activity. However, just as the water can be fun, it can also be very dangerous. According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment in its most recent Drowning in Kansas: Injury Prevention and Disability Program, for children 14 years old and younger, drowning was the third leading cause of injury death in 2012. In Lawrence, however, Gibbs and his team ensure everyone attending public waters is safe. On the other hand, to help individuals enjoy their time at the pool, various swimming lessons are provided at all ages.
“Lawrence is a very unique community in that we have folks that come from all over the globe that go to school here and not everybody has grown up around water,” Gibbs said.
Gibbs has seen many adults, who are international students, that have never swam before. Whether it’s not culturally acceptable or their community doesn’t have the means to provide a source for recreational swimming, these individuals have no experience about having fun or being safe in the water.
“We had to create or craft several years ago how to start helping and teaching those adult classes in being comfortable and being safe around the water,” Gibbs said.
It’s also essential for young children learning how to swim, to also learn and understand the importance of respecting the water, as Gibbs says.
“It’s fun but it can also be very dangerous,” he said. “It’s important for us providing physical education and health and wellness that that safety aspect is very important and that’s why in our swimming lessons that we have, they’re not just learning the strokes but they’re also learning how to keep themselves safe.”
Another measure taken to ensure the safety of all visitors are those standing watch over the Lawrence pools – its well-trained lifeguards supervised by Lori Madaus, Lawrence Aquatics Supervisor. Madaus is the one responsible for overseeing the indoor and outdoor pool, the South Park Wading Pool and staffs the Carl Knox Natatorium during school year.
“The responsibility you have for people’s lives – it’s a huge responsibility,” Madaus said. “People trust their children to you, they trust you to watch over and guard them while they’re swimming and the children look up to them.”
The concept of safeguarding the lives of others was greatly upheld by Dr. James Naismith who understood the significance of lifeguard responsibility, as well as the importance of knowing how to swim, as Gibbs explains while taking a deeper look into Lawrence’s pools from the past.
“Dr. Naismith from the University of Kansas – the inventor of basketball – he had a requirement that his athletes had to know how to swim, and that was a big challenge for his African American athletes on his teams,” Gibbs said. “There were literally no integrated swimming pools at the time.”
At that time there were black-only and white-only swimming pools in Lawrence, Gibbs further explained. Though there was a swimming pool, a YMCA-type that used to be downtown in the 1940s and 1950s where Dr. Naismith would take his African American athletes and they would be able to swim there. However, during these times of segregation across the country, the simple idea of swimming was a challenge.
“Dr. Naismith took one of his African American athletes who was a lifeguard in Kansas City to the swimming pool, and this was most likely on a Friday and after the kid gets out the custodial staff starts to drain the pool,” Gibbs said, the reason being was indirectly implied. “So then Dr. Naismith brought in members of the football team to stand guard at these swimming pools so that his African American athletes could swim and use the pool without being harassed.”

Drowning was the third leading cause of injury death in 2012 for children 14 years old and younger in Kansas.
The construction of the downtown outdoor pool in 1969 marked a significant time in Lawrence history as it opened to become the first integrated pool in the community. There had been white-only pools in the area, with not one black-only pool, according to Gibbs. The exception was the pool where Dr. Naismith took his African American athletes. The true lesson, however, to take away from the simple ability of knowing how to swim is what it teaches individuals. Aside from being safe and respecting the water, what matters are the life-long qualities swimming teaches students.
“Swimming is a lifelong skill. It doesn’t matter how young you are or how old you are it’s a skill teaches you responsibility, it teaches you punctuality and job skills that you can take throughout your whole life,” Madaus said. “ It doesn’t matter what career you choose, swimming teaches you the basic fundamentals of job skills.”
One can never be too young or too old to learn and develop these skills. Madaus and Gibbs have seen a wide-range of age groups learning the basics of swimming through the swimming lessons offered by the Lawrence pools. Many start as young as six months old, and there are occasional 80 year-olds as Madaus has witnessed.
“First-time grandparents – maybe they never learned how to swim – but their grandkids do or they’ve been invited to somebody’s lake house or out on a boat and they’re terrified,” Gibbs said. “So it’s a process of you’re not going to teach them to swim 50 meters, but we are going to help you get comfortable weighing up to your knees or knowing what to do if your grandkids are in trouble.”
Whether people are going by the pool for lessons or to have fun in the sun and water, one thing for sure is the Outdoor Aquatics Center is part of the enjoyable downtown experience.
“We’ve always been in that downtown area, and so we’re part of the experience of coming downtown. You find a place to park, you go to the library, you go to eat, maybe do some shopping, you go to the swimming pool and so all of those things are right there,” Gibbs said. “You’re not having to get in your car and go shopping or go someplace else to eat. I think we’re an important part and will continue to be an important part of the community.”
From the summer of 1969 onward, the Lawrence outdoor pool remains as a representation of cultural change, a place of learning and developing life skills and, of course, a place to have fun – safely – with family and friends.
88 Comments
Crypto market news
Just wish to say your article is as surprising. The clarity to your put up is just great and that i could think you’re knowledgeable in this subject. Well with your permission allow me to grasp your RSS feed to stay up to date with approaching post. Thank you a million and please keep up the rewarding work.|
Apotheek Max: Apotheek Max – ApotheekMax
Online apotheek Nederland zonder recept: online apotheek – Beste online drogist
Kamagra kaufen ohne Rezept Kamagra Oral Jelly Kamagra kaufen
https://apotheekmax.com/# Apotheek Max
https://kamagrapotenzmittel.shop/# Kamagra online bestellen
apotek online: apotek online recept – apotek online
Very good post. I definitely love this website. Thanks!
A powerful share, I just given this onto a colleague who was doing a little analysis on this. And he in truth purchased me breakfast because I discovered it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the treat! But yeah Thnkx for spending the time to discuss this, I really feel strongly about it and love reading extra on this topic. If doable, as you grow to be expertise, would you mind updating your blog with extra details? It is extremely helpful for me. Massive thumb up for this blog put up!
Buy Drugs
https://kamagrapotenzmittel.shop/# Kamagra online bestellen
http://apotekonlinerecept.com/# apotek pa nett
Kamagra Gel Kamagra kaufen ohne Rezept Kamagra Oral Jelly
Beste online drogist: Online apotheek Nederland met recept – de online drogist kortingscode
apotek online recept: apotek pa nett – Apoteket online
Apotheek Max: Apotheek Max – ApotheekMax
I’ve been browsing on-line more than three hours today, yet I by no means discovered any attention-grabbing article like yours. It’s pretty worth enough for me. In my opinion, if all site owners and bloggers made just right content material as you probably did, the net can be much more helpful than ever before.|
http://apotheekmax.com/# Online apotheek Nederland met recept
https://kamagrapotenzmittel.shop/# kamagra
May I simply say what a comfort to discover somebody who genuinely understands what they are discussing on the internet. You actually realize how to bring a problem to light and make it important. More people should look at this and understand this side of your story. I can’t believe you are not more popular given that you surely have the gift.
Kamagra Oral Jelly: Kamagra kaufen – Kamagra online bestellen
Undeniably believe that which you said. Your favorite justification appeared to be on the web the easiest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed while people consider worries that they just don’t know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , people can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks|
https://apotheekmax.com/# Beste online drogist
Apotek hemleverans idag apotek online recept apotek pa nett
I enjoy what you guys are up too. This sort of clever work and reporting! Keep up the fantastic works guys I’ve included you guys to my blogroll.|
Excellent beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your website, how can i subscribe for a blog web site? The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright clear concept|
Asking questions are genuinely nice thing if you are not understanding something entirely, except this post offers good understanding even.|
ApotheekMax: de online drogist kortingscode – online apotheek
https://kamagrapotenzmittel.com/# Kamagra Gel
Kamagra Oral Jelly kaufen: kamagra – Kamagra Oral Jelly kaufen
Apotek hemleverans idag: Apoteket online – apotek online
Porn site
Hi! I could have sworn I’ve been to your blog before but after browsing through some of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Regardless, I’m certainly happy I came across it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back frequently.
https://apotheekmax.shop/# Beste online drogist
I couldn’t resist commenting. Very well written.
https://kamagrapotenzmittel.com/# Kamagra Oral Jelly
Oh my goodness! Amazing article dude! Many thanks, However I am experiencing difficulties with your RSS. I don’t know why I cannot join it. Is there anyone else getting similar RSS issues? Anybody who knows the solution can you kindly respond? Thanks!!|
Beste online drogist: online apotheek – Online apotheek Nederland met recept
Kamagra Gel Kamagra Oral Jelly Kamagra kaufen ohne Rezept
Hi! I’ve been reading your website for a long time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Humble Texas! Just wanted to say keep up the excellent job!|
Buy Drugs
Pornstar
No need to worry about high gas fees anymore.
hi!,I like your writing so much! percentage we be in contact more approximately your article on AOL? I require an expert in this space to solve my problem. May be that’s you! Looking ahead to look you. |
I used to be able to find good information from your articles.
canada drugs: GoCanadaPharm – canadian family pharmacy
Sex
indian pharmacy paypal: indian pharmacy paypal – cheapest online pharmacy india
https://wwwindiapharm.com/# www india pharm
www india pharm: www india pharm – Online medicine order
I am really enjoying the theme/design of your weblog. Do you ever run into any web browser compatibility issues? A small number of my blog audience have complained about my blog not working correctly in Explorer but looks great in Safari. Do you have any ideas to help fix this issue?|
canada drugstore pharmacy rx: GoCanadaPharm – safe reliable canadian pharmacy
Agb Mexico Pharm Agb Mexico Pharm Agb Mexico Pharm
Hi, I do think this is an excellent web site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I’m going to come back once again since i have saved as a favorite it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to help other people.|
It’s very effortless to find out any matter on web as compared to textbooks, as I found this article at this web site.|
www india pharm: www india pharm – reputable indian online pharmacy
Porn
Thank you for sharing these types of wonderful content. In addition, the best travel and medical insurance strategy can often eradicate those worries that come with visiting abroad. Your medical emergency can quickly become extremely expensive and that’s guaranteed to quickly slam a financial problem on the family finances. Setting up in place the best travel insurance bundle prior to leaving is well worth the time and effort. Thanks
buying from online mexican pharmacy: Agb Mexico Pharm – Agb Mexico Pharm
https://agbmexicopharm.shop/# п»їbest mexican online pharmacies
You made some respectable factors there. I seemed on the web for the problem and found most individuals will go together with with your website.
Scam
Porn
п»їlegitimate online pharmacies india: indianpharmacy com – mail order pharmacy india
An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a colleague who has been doing a little homework on this. And he actually bought me dinner because I found it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending time to talk about this issue here on your internet site.|
pharmacy com canada: go canada pharm – canada drug pharmacy
canadian pharmacy tampa go canada pharm www canadianonlinepharmacy
medication from mexico pharmacy: reputable mexican pharmacies online – Agb Mexico Pharm
https://agbmexicopharm.shop/# best online pharmacies in mexico
certified canadian international pharmacy: GoCanadaPharm – real canadian pharmacy
www india pharm: www india pharm – www india pharm
I visited various blogs but the audio feature for audio songs present at this site is genuinely superb.|
medicine in mexico pharmacies: Agb Mexico Pharm – mexican rx online
https://gocanadapharm.shop/# legal canadian pharmacy online
Hello there! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could locate a captcha plugin for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having difficulty finding one? Thanks a lot!|
Мне понравилось объективное представление разных точек зрения на проблему.
I have observed that car insurance providers know the cars which are at risk from accidents and also other risks. In addition, they know what sort of cars are susceptible to higher risk and the higher risk they’ve already the higher the premium price. Understanding the straightforward basics involving car insurance just might help you choose the right style of insurance policy that will take care of your requirements in case you happen to be involved in any accident. Thank you sharing the ideas with your blog.
reputable indian online pharmacy: www india pharm – www india pharm
canadian pharmacy meds go canada pharm canadian pharmacy no rx needed
Porn
Buy Drugs
www india pharm: online pharmacy india – www india pharm
purple pharmacy mexico price list: mexico drug stores pharmacies – Agb Mexico Pharm
canadian drug: go canada pharm – best canadian pharmacy to order from
Hello this is somewhat of off topic but I was wanting to know if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding skills so I wanted to get guidance from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!|
http://wwwindiapharm.com/# indianpharmacy com
best online pharmacies in mexico: mexican online pharmacies prescription drugs – Agb Mexico Pharm