Sunday, December 22
Lawrence Business Magazine LLC
Lawrence Business Magazine LLC
2015 Second Quarter - Education & Futures

Downtown in Focus: Downtown Aquatics Center

By on 353 Comments
Downtown Lawrence Outdoor Aquatics Center
| 2015 Q2 | story by KATHERINE DIAZ    | photos by STEVEN HERTZOG |
Pool

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.”

Pool

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.

Share.

Related Posts

353 Comments

  1. แมวสื่อรัก on

    An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a friend who had been conducting a little research on this. And he in fact bought me dinner due to the fact that I stumbled upon it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending some time to talk about this matter here on your web site.

  2. Porn Movie on

    I’m extremely impressed along with your writing abilities and also with the layout to your weblog. Is this a paid subject matter or did you modify it yourself? Anyway stay up the nice high quality writing, it’s uncommon to see a nice weblog like this one today..|

  8. Porn Movie on

    Great blog here! Also your web site loads up very fast! What web host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host? I wish my web site loaded up as fast as yours lol|

  9. Gay porn on

    My brother suggested I might like this web site. He was entirely right. This post actually made my day. You cann’t imagine simply how much time I had spent for this info! Thanks!|

  12. แทงบอล on

    Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive learn anything like this before. So good to seek out anyone with some unique ideas on this subject. realy thanks for beginning this up. this web site is one thing that’s wanted on the net, someone with just a little originality. helpful job for bringing something new to the internet!

  17. sex video on

    Hi, There’s no doubt that your website could possibly be having internet browser compatibility problems. When I take a look at your website in Safari, it looks fine however, when opening in IE, it’s got some overlapping issues. I just wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Apart from that, fantastic blog!|

  22. Rea Matalavage on

    This is a topic which is close to my heart… Take care! Where are your contact details though?

  23. pendente on

    With havin so much content and articles do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright violation? My website has a lot of unique content I’ve either created myself or outsourced but it looks like a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my agreement. Do you know any methods to help reduce content from being stolen? I’d definitely appreciate it.

  27. sex video on

    Undeniably believe that that you stated. Your favorite justification seemed to be at the web the easiest factor to understand of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed whilst people think about concerns that they plainly do not realize about. You managed to hit the nail upon the highest and outlined out the entire thing with no need side effect , other people can take a signal. Will likely be again to get more. Thanks|

  28. gambling Scam on

    It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d definitely donate to this brilliant blog! I suppose for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to new updates and will talk about this blog with my Facebook group. Chat soon!|

  31. แทงบอล on

    I just could not depart your site prior to suggesting that I really enjoyed the standard info a person provide for your visitors? Is gonna be back often to check up on new posts

  36. sex video on

    I was more than happy to find this page. I wanted to thank you for your time for this particularly fantastic read!! I definitely enjoyed every little bit of it and I have you saved as a favorite to check out new stuff on your site.|

  37. gambling Scam on

    Undeniably believe that which you said. Your favorite reason appeared to be on the internet the easiest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed while people think about worries that they plainly don’t know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top as well as defined out the whole thing without having side effect , people can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks|

  45. online scam on

    whoah this weblog is excellent i love reading your posts. Keep up the good work! You understand, a lot of people are searching around for this info, you could aid them greatly. |

  48. もくもく自然塾 on

    In addition to his wife at the house, and his daughters, he’s survived by two grandsons, Ricky Todd and Shawn McGuinness and two granddaughters, Kristina Todd and Kathleen McGuinness; one sister, Mrs Ivan (Eva) Hansen of Livermore, CA and a brother, Vallie VanSickle, Kettle Falls, and quite a few different relatives.

  59. www.crypto30x.com on

    Oh my goodness! Awesome article dude! Thank you, However I am going through problems with your RSS. I don’t know why I can’t join it. Is there anybody else getting the same RSS issues? Anybody who knows the answer can you kindly respond? Thanx!!

  60. gambling Scam on

    Hi there, I discovered your blog via Google even as searching for a comparable subject, your website got here up, it looks great. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.

  61. www.crypto30x.com on

    Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It’s always helpful to read through articles from other writers and practice a little something from their sites.

  71. sex video on

    I’ve read a few good stuff here. Certainly worth bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how so much attempt you set to create any such great informative site.|

  74. Stance socks on

    Hi, I do believe this is an excellent blog. I stumbledupon it 😉 I am going to revisit yet again since I book-marked it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to help others.

  81. scam on

    Hi there it’s me, I am also visiting this site on a regular basis, this website is truly good and the visitors are actually sharing nice thoughts.|

  91. Converting VHS to Digital on

    Thanks for this glorious article. Yet another thing to mention is that most digital cameras come equipped with a zoom lens that enables more or less of the scene for being included through ‘zooming’ in and out. Most of these changes in {focus|focusing|concentration|target|the a**** length are reflected in the viewfinder and on big display screen on the back of the specific camera.

  92. Jasa Pembuatan Maket Miniatur on

    Hello there, I do think your web site could possibly be having web browser compatibility issues. When I look at your blog in Safari, it looks fine however, if opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping issues. I simply wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Apart from that, fantastic site!

  96. Jasa Pembuatan Maket on

    Can I simply just say what a relief to discover a person that actually knows what they’re discussing over the internet. You actually know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More and more people need to check this out and understand this side of the story. It’s surprising you’re not more popular since you most certainly have the gift.

  99. carbofix on

    Aw, this was an incredibly nice post. Finding the time and actual effort to create a superb article… but what can I say… I put things off a lot and don’t manage to get nearly anything done.

  102. หวยออนไลน์ on

    Hi! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after reading through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Anyhow, I’m definitely delighted I found it and I’ll be bookmarking and checking back frequently!

  105. liv pure colibrim ai on

    The next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesn’t fail me as much as this one. After all, I know it was my choice to read through, however I really believed you would have something useful to say. All I hear is a bunch of crying about something that you can fix if you weren’t too busy looking for attention.

  119. Chainlist on

    Aw, this was a very nice post. In idea I wish to put in writing like this additionally ? taking time and actual effort to make an excellent article? but what can I say? I procrastinate alot and under no circumstances appear to get one thing done.

  124. หวยออนไลน์ on

    One other important component is that if you are an older person, travel insurance for pensioners is something you need to really look at. The older you are, a lot more at risk you’re for getting something poor happen to you while overseas. If you are definitely not covered by a few comprehensive insurance, you could have quite a few serious difficulties. Thanks for expressing your guidelines on this website.

  125. ทำตัวให้เป็นประโยชน์ on

    Thanks for your posting. One other thing is that individual American states have their unique laws which affect householders, which makes it very difficult for the our lawmakers to come up with the latest set of recommendations concerning property foreclosure on home owners. The problem is that each state has own legal guidelines which may interact in an undesirable manner when it comes to foreclosure insurance policies.

  134. lesbian video on

    I just like the valuable info you supply on your articles. I will bookmark your blog and check once more here frequently. I am slightly sure I will be told plenty of new stuff right right here! Good luck for the following!|

  148. Porn video on

    I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was great. I don’t know who you are but definitely you are going to a famous blogger if you are not already 😉 Cheers!|

  150. lesbian video on

    I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own weblog and was curious what all is required to get setup? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very internet savvy so I’m not 100 certain. Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated. Appreciate it|

  159. lesbian video on

    I’ve been surfing online more than 2 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It is pretty worth enough for me. In my view, if all web owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the web will be a lot more useful than ever before.|

  160. ufabet on

    Nice blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog stand out. Please let me know where you got your theme. With thanks

  161. 同性戀色情片 on

    Hello there! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with SEO? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good results. If you know of any please share. Many thanks!|

  163. 5starsstocks.com on

    You’re so interesting! I don’t believe I have read a single thing like this before. So wonderful to find another person with unique thoughts on this topic. Really.. many thanks for starting this up. This site is something that’s needed on the web, someone with some originality.

  165. 性愛影片 on

    Good day very nice blog!! Man .. Excellent .. Superb .. I will bookmark your website and take the feeds additionally? I’m happy to search out numerous useful information right here within the publish, we need work out more strategies on this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .|

  169. ufabet on

    Undeniably believe that which you stated. Your favorite reason appeared to be on the web the easiest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed while people think about worries that they plainly do not know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out the whole thing without having side effect , people can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks

  172. เว็บตรง 100 on

    One thing I’ve noticed is always that there are plenty of common myths regarding the banking companies intentions while talking about foreclosure. One delusion in particular is always that the bank wishes to have your house. The bank wants your cash, not your house. They want the funds they gave you having interest. Steering clear of the bank will undoubtedly draw a new foreclosed conclusion. Thanks for your post.

  176. เว็บตรง 100 on

    Today, with the fast life-style that everyone leads, credit cards have a big demand throughout the economy. Persons out of every field are using the credit card and people who not using the credit card have lined up to apply for even one. Thanks for revealing your ideas in credit cards.

  198. เว็บตรง 100 on

    Attractive element of content. I simply stumbled upon your web site and in accession capital to say that I acquire actually loved account your blog posts. Any way I?ll be subscribing to your augment and even I fulfillment you get right of entry to consistently fast.

  199. b2b massage on

    Spot on with this write-up, I seriously believe this web site needs a lot more attention. I’ll probably be returning to read through more, thanks for the information!

  205. オンラインデート on

    A fascinating discussion is worth comment. I do think that you should write more about this subject, it may not be a taboo matter but generally folks don’t discuss these subjects. To the next! Best wishes!!|

  207. オンラインデート on

    I think this is among the most significant information for me. And i am glad reading your article. But want to remark on some general things, The site style is wonderful, the articles is really great : D. Good job, cheers|

  213. ufabet on

    My programmer is trying to convince me to move to .net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the costs. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using Movable-type on several websites for about a year and am nervous about switching to another platform. I have heard fantastic things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can import all my wordpress posts into it? Any kind of help would be really appreciated!

  221. snaptik on

    Greetings! Very useful advice within this article! It’s the little changes that will make the biggest changes. Many thanks for sharing!

  222. snaptik on

    I’m more than happy to discover this site. I need to to thank you for your time due to this fantastic read!! I definitely appreciated every little bit of it and I have you saved to fav to check out new things in your site.

  227. ufabet on

    Helpful information. Fortunate me I found your web site by accident, and I am stunned why this coincidence didn’t took place in advance! I bookmarked it.

  230. Online Scam on

    I blog quite often and I really appreciate your information. Your article has truly peaked my interest. I will bookmark your website and keep checking for new information about once per week. I subscribed to your Feed too.|

  238. ethereum address generator on

    Hi there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this web site before but after browsing through a few of the posts I realized it’s new to me. Regardless, I’m certainly pleased I came across it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back regularly!

  243. ufabet on

    Great goods from you, man. I’ve bear in mind your stuff prior to and you are just too excellent. I actually like what you have bought right here, really like what you are stating and the best way by which you say it. You make it entertaining and you continue to take care of to keep it smart. I cant wait to read far more from you. This is actually a terrific website.

  245. ufabet on

    Thanks for your posting. What I want to point out is that when you are evaluating a good on-line electronics shop, look for a site with full information on important factors such as the security statement, protection details, any payment guidelines, and other terms along with policies. Always take time to look into the help plus FAQ segments to get a superior idea of how the shop functions, what they can perform for you, and how you can make the most of the features.

  250. iwin on

    Hi, I think your web site could possibly be having browser compatibility issues. Whenever I look at your website in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it’s got some overlapping issues. I simply wanted to give you a quick heads up! Aside from that, wonderful blog!

  253. male and female wire connectors on

    Right here is the right site for anybody who really wants to understand this topic. You know a whole lot its almost tough to argue with you (not that I personally would want to…HaHa). You certainly put a fresh spin on a topic that’s been written about for a long time. Great stuff, just excellent.

  259. ufabet on

    Hey there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after checking through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m definitely happy I found it and I’ll be book-marking and checking back often!

  263. Video laten maken on

    I’m impressed, I must say. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s both equally educative and amusing, and without a doubt, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The problem is something which not enough people are speaking intelligently about. Now i’m very happy that I found this during my hunt for something concerning this.

  264. ufabet on

    It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d without a doubt donate to this outstanding blog! I guess for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to fresh updates and will talk about this blog with my Facebook group. Talk soon!

  267. 파라존카지노 on

    You are so interesting! I don’t think I have read through anything like this before. So nice to discover someone with some original thoughts on this issue. Really.. thanks for starting this up. This web site is one thing that is needed on the web, someone with a little originality.

  281. 高崎問屋町時刻表 on

    9 August. The All India Chess Federation was given a “first possibility” of three months following the 2012 World Chess Championship, to make a proposal for the organisation of the 2013 World Chess Championship.

  286. 南海 トラフ 死者 予想 on

    Particular Prestigious License Plates for Sure Veterans and Retirees The Louisiana Legislature has authorized the Division of Motor Autos to difficulty prestige license plates to certain Louisiana veterans and retired (army) veterans.

  292. Ufabet on

    I needed to thank you for this very good read!! I definitely enjoyed every bit of it. I’ve got you saved as a favorite to look at new things you post…

  299. หวยออนไลน์ on

    The next time I read a blog, Hopefully it won’t fail me as much as this one. I mean, Yes, it was my choice to read, however I truly thought you’d have something interesting to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of crying about something that you can fix if you were not too busy looking for attention.

  301. chip cookies on the bbq on

    Many thanks for your post. I’d really like to write my opinion that the expense of car insurance varies greatly from one plan to another, since there are so many different facets which give rise to the overall cost. For example, the model and make of the car or truck will have a massive bearing on the charge. A reliable ancient family auto will have an inexpensive premium than just a flashy fancy car.

  305. cookies on

    Hiya, I am really glad I have found this info. Today bloggers publish only about gossips and web and this is really irritating. A good web site with exciting content, this is what I need. Thank you for keeping this web-site, I’ll be visiting it. Do you do newsletters? Can not find it.

  306. how to save half of avocado on

    Hello there! This post could not be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my good old room mate! He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this post to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Many thanks for sharing!

  307. Ufabet on

    Oh my goodness! Impressive article dude! Thank you, However I am going through troubles with your RSS. I don’t understand why I am unable to subscribe to it. Is there anybody getting similar RSS issues? Anyone who knows the solution will you kindly respond? Thanx!

  309. Ufabet on

    A fascinating discussion is definitely worth comment. I do believe that you need to publish more about this subject matter, it might not be a taboo subject but generally folks don’t talk about such topics. To the next! Best wishes.

  317. แทงบอล on

    Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve been to your blog before but after browsing through some of the posts I realized it’s new to me. Nonetheless, I’m certainly delighted I stumbled upon it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back regularly.

  326. chocolate chip cookie on

    Some tips i have continually told folks is that while searching for a good internet electronics retail outlet, there are a few components that you have to consider. First and foremost, you would like to make sure to find a reputable as well as reliable retail store that has got great opinions and ratings from other shoppers and business sector advisors. This will make sure that you are handling a well-known store that provides good support and aid to the patrons. Thanks for sharing your thinking on this weblog.

  334. chip cookies on the bbq on

    Thanks for the strategies presented. One thing I also believe is the fact credit cards supplying a 0 interest rate often appeal to consumers with zero monthly interest, instant authorization and easy on-line balance transfers, but beware of the real factor that may void that 0 easy street annual percentage rate and also throw you out into the terrible house in no time.

  337. 888b on

    This is the perfect blog for everyone who wants to understand this topic. You know so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I actually will need to…HaHa). You definitely put a new spin on a subject that has been written about for many years. Great stuff, just excellent.

  338. 888b on

    You made some really good points there. I checked on the net to find out more about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this web site.

Leave A Reply

Contact to Listing Owner

Captcha Code