colony pool fiasco

[Ray Menna]

twice now while swimming in colony pool i was forced to leave before the alloted time for swimmers . the aerobic people come into the pool, get in the pool, and proceed to walk in a circle. the current is so strong in the swimming lane that it forced three swimmers out of the pool swimming was impossible. the time was 8:30 a.m. our swim time is until 9:50. we all complained. i called pam henry who is in charge of the recreation dept. and she said she would talk to the people who work there and they would be told that although aerobic people can get into the pool earlier than scheduled class time they cannot do a controlled excercise that would make it impossible for the swimmers to swi.m. today it happened again. i got out of the swimming lane and talked to man and woman in charge of pool. they were extremely courteous and sympathetic to problem but they said they had not heard from pam:BigApplause: henry (disappointment). they did ask the aerobic people to stop the circle walk. aerobic people have to respect our space and time. today they actually removed the lane ropes to get in that lane at 8:30 and then some of them went to our lanes, sat at edge of pool and let their feet and legs hang in water. one man wanted to get in lane to swim but thought he shouldn't as the ladies were hanging there legs over swim lane. aeorbic class people have to respect our space and time to swim as we respect theirs. please pass this information along to anyone who does aerobic excerise class as they are probably are unaware how their behaviour effects our swimming also a call to pam henry wouldn't hurt. pam henry can be reached at 352-674-1803. lets face it, the squeakly wheel gets the grease. i was also told to contact tracey at the colony pool. tracey can be reached at 352-750-1935. thank you in advance to anyone who can help in this matter. have a nice day!

[swimdawg]

twice now while swimming in colony pool i was forced to leave before the alloted time for swimmers . the aerobic people come into the pool, get in the pool, and proceed to walk in a circle. the current is so strong in the swimming lane that it forced three swimmers out of the pool swimming was impossible. the time was 8:30 a.m. our swim time is until 9:50. we all complained. i called pam henry who is in charge of the recreation dept. and she said she would talk to the people who work there and they would be told that although aerobic people can get into the pool earlier than scheduled class time they cannot do a controlled excercise that would make it impossible for the swimmers to swi.m. today it happened again. i got out of the swimming lane and talked to man and woman in charge of pool. they were extremely courteous and sympathetic to problem but they said they had not heard from pam:BigApplause: henry (disappointment). they did ask the aerobic people to stop the circle walk. aerobic people have to respect our space and time. today they actually removed the lane ropes to get in that lane at 8:30 and then some of them went to our lanes, sat at edge of pool and let their feet and legs hang in water. one man wanted to get in lane to swim but thought he shouldn't as the ladies were hanging there legs over swim lane. aeorbic class people have to respect our space and time to swim as we respect theirs. please pass this information along to anyone who does aerobic excerise class as they are probably are unaware how their behaviour effects our swimming also a call to pam henry wouldn't hurt. pam henry can be reached at 352-674-1803. lets face it, the squeakly wheel gets the grease. i was also told to contact tracey at the colony pool. tracey can be reached at 352-750-1935. thank you in advance to anyone who can help in this matter. have a nice day!

I have had similar problems at Seabreeze. The lap swimming times are limited and often, water walkers take over the lap lanes. It has been very busy over at Seabreeze and I got so discouraged that I started doing laps at our neighborhood pool or the family pool. I simply explain to people in the pool that I'll be swimming laps (many!) and don't want to get in their way. People are so nice about it........and I've met even more friends! :)

[Ray Menna]

hi folks: i just spoke with tracey from colony pool. pam henry did contact her via email and the situation is being addressed. tracey told me that because her email was down for the weekend the problem is being addressed now and not earlier as she was unaware of my complaint. tracey, being a swimmer herself, understood the issues completely. so this thread is to reinstate pam henry in a nice manner. i do not want to criticize someone for something that is not true. she did address the problem to her staff and hopefully we will see an improvement in the near future. all is good! again, nice day to everyone.

[Cobh521]

@Ray. I do go to aerobic exercise class and can understand your frustration. When I first started to go, our group just got in the pool and stood still and socialized. One day, and I cannot recall from who, we were instructed to walk in a circle and were told we had to keep moving and not stand still. I really did not like this idea as everyone is banging into each other. I truly hope this situation can be resolved and we can all enjoy the pool

[sandybill2]

I take a 9:00 am water aerobic class at Laurel Manor---the lap swimmers are there prior to our class. We aren't allowed in the gate until their time is up and they are usually taking the lane markers out at that time. There is another aerobic class directly after ours but they also are not allowed to come in until our class time is up and we are clearing the pool. That is the way it should be and I hope your issue will be handled appropriately.

[Avista]

We try to avoid the water aerobics class at Bonita. Isn't this what the Sport Pools are for??? We can't go until 9 am when they should be gone. Friday they stayed and stayed and stayed.

[ilovetv]

It's all further proof that more sport pools are needed, but I doubt that will happen (yes I know Eisenhower will open soon, but it will be immediately packed with all the thousands of new homes/residents in that area).

One of the many reasons we need an indoor sport (not soaking!!) pool is so that evening lap swim hours could be had until 9 or 10pm as university and ymca pools do. When it gets dark at 5pm from Nov. thru March, lap swim time is seriously cut short when it's already short because of all the am-pm classes.

[Villageswimmer]

twice now while swimming in colony pool i was forced to leave before the alloted time for swimmers . the aerobic people come into the pool, get in the pool, and proceed to walk in a circle. the current is so strong in the swimming lane that it forced three swimmers out of the pool swimming was impossible. the time was 8:30 a.m. our swim time is until 9:50. we all complained. i called pam henry who is in charge of the recreation dept. and she said she would talk to the people who work there and they would be told that although aerobic people can get into the pool earlier than scheduled class time they cannot do a controlled excercise that would make it impossible for the swimmers to swi.m. today it happened again. i got out of the swimming lane and talked to man and woman in charge of pool. they were extremely courteous and sympathetic to problem but they said they had not heard from pam:BigApplause: henry (disappointment). they did ask the aerobic people to stop the circle walk. aerobic people have to respect our space and time. today they actually removed the lane ropes to get in that lane at 8:30 and then some of them went to our lanes, sat at edge of pool and let their feet and legs hang in water. one man wanted to get in lane to swim but thought he shouldn't as the ladies were hanging there legs over swim lane. aeorbic class people have to respect our space and time to swim as we respect theirs. please pass this information along to anyone who does aerobic excerise class as they are probably are unaware how their behaviour effects our swimming also a call to pam henry wouldn't hurt. pam henry can be reached at 352-674-1803. lets face it, the squeakly wheel gets the grease. i was also told to contact tracey at the colony pool. tracey can be reached at 352-750-1935. thank you in advance to anyone who can help in this matter. have a nice day!


I'm so glad you posted this. I'm a snowflake lap swimmer and, although I came back north in August, I could see this coming.

We lap swimmers are such a minority, I got to feeling like no one cares about us. Sometimes the number of lanes is reduced for no apparent reason as well. And lap times are very limited.

I know Seabreeze had that rule where early arrivers for water aerobics needed to keep moving and not stand around. I've never seen the organized circle walking, though. That's a new one.

Sounds like the process used at Laurel Manor is working and should be adopted Villages-wide.

All this takes is mutual respect. Thank you for making TV rec folks aware of the problem.

[Madelaine Amee]

I take a 9:00 am water aerobic class at Laurel Manor---the lap swimmers are there prior to our class. We aren't allowed in the gate until their time is up and they are usually taking the lane markers out at that time. There is another aerobic class directly after ours but they also are not allowed to come in until our class time is up and we are clearing the pool. That is the way it should be and I hope your issue will be handled appropriately.

Laurel Manor staff are really on the ball, don't mess with them!

[mrsyarbie]

I go to SeaBreeze on Tues.and Thur. at 0900 for a Aqua Zumba class. We are distributed tickets in line for the class and are not admitted to the pool so that the lap swimmers can finish their time before us. No one likes to stand in line but this is a good way to fair to everyone.

[CSB1228]

twice now while swimming in colony pool i was forced to leave before the alloted time for swimmers . the aerobic people come into the pool, get in the pool, and proceed to walk in a circle. the current is so strong in the swimming lane that it forced three swimmers out of the pool swimming was impossible. the time was 8:30 a.m. our swim time is until 9:50. we all complained. i called pam henry who is in charge of the recreation dept. and she said she would talk to the people who work there and they would be told that although aerobic people can get into the pool earlier than scheduled class time they cannot do a controlled excercise that would make it impossible for the swimmers to swi.m. today it happened again. i got out of the swimming lane and talked to man and woman in charge of pool. they were extremely courteous and sympathetic to problem but they said they had not heard from pam:BigApplause: henry (disappointment). they did ask the aerobic people to stop the circle walk. aerobic people have to respect our space and time. today they actually removed the lane ropes to get in that lane at 8:30 and then some of them went to our lanes, sat at edge of pool and let their feet and legs hang in water. one man wanted to get in lane to swim but thought he shouldn't as the ladies were hanging there legs over swim lane. aeorbic class people have to respect our space and time to swim as we respect theirs. please pass this information along to anyone who does aerobic excerise class as they are probably are unaware how their behaviour effects our swimming also a call to pam henry wouldn't hurt. pam henry can be reached at 352-674-1803. lets face it, the squeakly wheel gets the grease. i was also told to contact tracey at the colony pool. tracey can be reached at 352-750-1935. thank you in advance to anyone who can help in this matter. have a nice day!

Combo Swim Time early Monday is 7 - 8:50am

[Halle]

Ray thank you for being pro-active. My husband and I experienced the same problem while trying to swim laps at Colony. I talked to several of the personnel checking ID's about the problem with the aerobic class walking in a circle and causing such a large wake that we could not swim laps, they were polite but did not offer any help. While at the Colony pool yesterday I spoke to a woman who talked to Pam Henry about the problem. I decided I was going to wait and see if the problem was resolved this week before I called. Hopefully it has been and we can all enjoy the pool.

[beekman]

If the rules are very clear and posted for all, they should be followed. Such procedures are the only thing which will keep TV from becoming a mess. The on-duty rec person is there to help make things run smoothly and resolve issues. I have not run into this problem. I hope as ADULTS we all can respect the procedures that allow ALL of us to live together and have fun. :)

[under55]

Just looked at the Rec. Schedule and it says Combo Swim till 8:50. Then I looked at the departments description for combo swim.

Combination swim time – lap swimming, walking and exercise

If they are walking how can you keep them out?

[DouglasMo]

Same thing at Lake Miona...not allowed in pool area until prior class completely leaves the pool area..not just the pool.... As some people apparently don't know this and stay behind in the pool talking and also picking up their stuff out of the pool to walk out... we wait and wait. It's just that these rules should be told to all.

[Love2Swim]

twice now while swimming in colony pool i was forced to leave before the alloted time for swimmers . the aerobic people come into the pool, get in the pool, and proceed to walk in a circle. the current is so strong in the swimming lane that it forced three swimmers out of the pool swimming was impossible. the time was 8:30 a.m. our swim time is until 9:50. we all complained. i called pam henry who is in charge of the recreation dept. and she said she would talk to the people who work there and they would be told that although aerobic people can get into the pool earlier than scheduled class time they cannot do a controlled excercise that would make it impossible for the swimmers to swi.m. today it happened again. i got out of the swimming lane and talked to man and woman in charge of pool. they were extremely courteous and sympathetic to problem but they said they had not heard from pam:BigApplause: henry (disappointment). they did ask the aerobic people to stop the circle walk. aerobic people have to respect our space and time. today they actually removed the lane ropes to get in that lane at 8:30 and then some of them went to our lanes, sat at edge of pool and let their feet and legs hang in water. one man wanted to get in lane to swim but thought he shouldn't as the ladies were hanging there legs over swim lane. aeorbic class people have to respect our space and time to swim as we respect theirs. please pass this information along to anyone who does aerobic excerise class as they are probably are unaware how their behaviour effects our swimming also a call to pam henry wouldn't hurt. pam henry can be reached at 352-674-1803. lets face it, the squeakly wheel gets the grease. i was also told to contact tracey at the colony pool. tracey can be reached at 352-750-1935. thank you in advance to anyone who can help in this matter. have a nice day!

Ray, thank you for posting. What you describe is totally accurate. I experienced the same thing at Colony a year or so ago, and have opted not to swim there for that reason. Another thing that has bugged me, is that oftentimes if there is combo swim, they have a large open area set aside for walkers, and 4 lanes set aside for lap swimmers. Then you get a couple of people taking up one of the lap lanes for walking, when they could be walking in the large area. Heck, you could have 20 people walking in one lane, they wouldn't affect each other, but a lap swimmer needs his/her own lane or can share with another swimmer going the same pace. Its getting harder and harder to find open lanes for lap swimming, and I agree, it would be wonderful to have an indoor pool for those who can't be out in the sun for various reasons. You would think a community of our size, close to 100,000 people, could support such an enterprise.

Sorry, I just had to vent!

[asianthree]

But even with indoor you need a separate lap lane...or the same problem will happen...our gym has separate lanes in another pool just for lap

[graciegirl]

The problem with getting an...um...strong willed person to follow the rules here short of arresting them is reeeeealy challenging.

I am pretty sure that the powers that be and the folks behind the curtain could strong arm people to NOT save chairs and keep out of the pool, but they don't. I wouldn't either if I were them. Can't you just see what would happen if someone was removed from a pool?

It is sad and frustrating beyond description to hear you all tell of yet another situation where some people are behaving selfishly without a respectful attitude toward what other people came there to do. This me,me,me, uncaring attitude is a shock to me every time I see it. I am from Ohio.

You cannot legislate kindness.

This whole thing sounds pretty hopeless and will soon get terribly worse with the advent of the high season.

[Villageswimmer]

I go to SeaBreeze on Tues.and Thur. at 0900 for a Aqua Zumba class. We are distributed tickets in line for the class and are not admitted to the pool so that the lap swimmers can finish their time before us. No one likes to stand in line but this is a good way to fair to everyone.


Amen. This lap swimmer thanks you for being so understanding. I don't think people are intentionally being nasty--perhaps it's just a lack of sensitivity. Many folks who swim laps do so because they cannot run, play pickleball, etc. because of physical limitations. So they need their pool time. Even if that's not the case, all--swimmers and walkers--should be respected.

Sounds like Laurel Manor has met the challenge and, maybe, Seabreeze as well (?) now.

[F16 1UB]

On September 9th at 0850 hours yours truly got EVERYONES attention at Colony Pool....all 85 of them....I said "Don't shoot the messenger but we've had complaints from swimmers about the current that is caused from everyone walking in a circle....you are now asked to walk back & forth in a straight line to try to prevent this problem for the swimmers....and by all means do not get in their lanes nor impede their progress."

This happens every year....and is at its pinnacle in the heat of the summer WHEN THERE"S 85 PEOPLE IN THE POOL. There's no way of being adult about this. You've got complainers on both sides that come to me and claim I KNOW SO & SO and can really make it bad for you. Yeah threat towards me. Frankly my dear......We're volunteers that provide a service for all that want to get/stay active & vertical. Some of you that have posted on here know me. I'm always available to listen to reason...BUT....there's his story, her story, then the truth.....

Swimmers - I don't understand why you come to a pool and complain about swimming when you're obviously there to exercise. Lets go for a relaxing swim? You relax afterwards.

Walkers - First of all not ALL walkers prior to water aerobics STAY for water aerobics so lets let OTHERS share the blame too. Secondly I don't understand why you come to a pool and walk 20/30 minutes prior to water aerobics and then stand around during the program when much of the time the only thing that's moving are your lips. You know who you are.

Finally if you wait 2 months pool attendance will drop dramatically....WHAT you say...but the Snowbirds will be arriving....and so will cooler temps....and with that reduces both walkers & swimmers. I've had as few as 12 in Feb in attendance....no swimmers. Some instructors refuse to go out if the ambient temp is below 60.

As I previously mentioned....there's no adult way to handle this so suck it up and get over it....you're in The Villages enjoying, or at least should be, all the greatness this place has to offer. Just remember....put yourself in the other persons shoes. You might be receiving a number outside the gate awaiting entry....that is if you have gotten there early enough to receive a number lower than 85.

And for the swimmers who like to walk in an "stake their lanes" by laying down their towels at the edge of the pool prior to the end of water aerobics....do you save seats in the front row to see Rocky & The Rollers? That's what I thought. Shame on you.

At NO time are the lanes removed prior to 10 min before the hour....at least by the clock that's hanging on the post.....we don't go by your watch....

Upon completion of water aerobics the participants replace the lanes for the next ????? If you swimmers want to move the process along and HELP, I'm sure all concerned would be appreciative.

C Ya Monday and like Meryl says SMILE

Steve AKA The Terminator
Mondays Instructor

[angiefox10]

On September 9th at 0850 hours yours truly got EVERYONES attention at Colony Pool....all 85 of them....I said "Don't shoot the messenger but we've had complaints from swimmers about the current that is caused from everyone walking in a circle....you are now asked to walk back & forth in a straight line to try to prevent this problem for the swimmers....and by all means do not get in their lanes nor impede their progress."

This happens every year....and is at its pinnacle in the heat of the summer WHEN THERE"S 85 PEOPLE IN THE POOL. There's no way of being adult about this. You've got complainers on both sides that come to me and claim I KNOW SO & SO and can really make it bad for you. Yeah threat towards me. Frankly my dear......We're volunteers that provide a service for all that want to get/stay active & vertical. Some of you that have posted on here know me. I'm always available to listen to reason...BUT....there's his story, her story, then the truth.....

Swimmers - I don't understand why you come to a pool and complain about swimming when you're obviously there to exercise. Lets go for a relaxing swim? You relax afterwards.

Walkers - First of all not ALL walkers prior to water aerobics STAY for water aerobics so lets let OTHERS share the blame too. Secondly I don't understand why you come to a pool and walk 20/30 minutes prior to water aerobics and then stand around during the program when much of the time the only thing that's moving are your lips. You know who you are.

Finally if you wait 2 months pool attendance will drop dramatically....WHAT you say...but the Snowbirds will be arriving....and so will cooler temps....and with that reduces both walkers & swimmers. I've had as few as 12 in Feb in attendance....no swimmers. Some instructors refuse to go out if the ambient temp is below 60.

As I previously mentioned....there's no adult way to handle this so suck it up and get over it....you're in The Villages enjoying, or at least should be, all the greatness this place has to offer. Just remember....put yourself in the other persons shoes. You might be receiving a number outside the gate awaiting entry....that is if you have gotten there early enough to receive a number lower than 85.

And for the swimmers who like to walk in an "stake their lanes" by laying down their towels at the edge of the pool prior to the end of water aerobics....do you save seats in the front row to see Rocky & The Rollers? That's what I thought. Shame on you.

At NO time are the lanes removed prior to 10 min before the hour....at least by the clock that's hanging on the post.....we don't go by your watch....

Upon completion of water aerobics the participants replace the lanes for the next ????? If you swimmers want to move the process along and HELP, I'm sure all concerned would be appreciative.

C Ya Monday and like Meryl says SMILE

Steve AKA The Terminator
Mondays Instructor

Hahaha.......

I hate it when you hold back like that!

*waving* Miss you Steve!

[rubicon]

I am so excited about the continued build out and now we are going to add Fruitland Park.....Kool Can wait for more good news:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:: popcorn:

[ilovetv]

What Steve said is all correct. It also illustrates that there are not enough sport-pool hours to accommodate everyone who needs to use them.

I don't see why hours are not added by installing in-pool lights and a few spotlights on the deck shining down into the pool, to allow for evening swimming after dusk. This would help people who cannot be out in the direct sun, too, who are many.

[Villageswimmer]

What Steve said is all correct. It also illustrates that there are not enough sport-pool hours to accommodate everyone who needs to use them.

I don't see why hours are not added by installing in-pool lights and a few spotlights on the deck shining down into the pool, to allow for evening swimming after dusk. This would help people who cannot be out in the direct sun, too, who are many.

Agreed. Either that or open @ 5 or 6 am rather than 7. I know...but lap swimmers are largely early birds which is why enough lap lines often aren't available at 7. And, yes, avoiding sun is way at the top of my list, too. Additional hours on either end would help a lot.

there's also the issue, and I hate to bring this up, of college swim class where I have seen a class of 8 or 10 have exclusive use of the entire Seabreeze pool when they need to huddle in less than a quarter of the pool to hold class and hear the instructor. Swimmers, who want to use the unused laps and not in any way disrupt the class, are told they can't swim.

[createquilts]

Whether it is dogs, pools, golf carts or any other issue it is all about consideration and kindness. I swim laps, play water volleyball, and attend water aerobics at Colony, SeaBreeze and Lake Miona. I have been able to discontinue medications due to all the activity which I could never do on land due to injuries. Today at Colony the situation was much better. I swam laps from 8 to 8:50, then did Steve's class. Excellent instructor and a very kind individual. I have been in the pool when Water Volleyball people have had all the nets out and people standing at the ends to unhook the lines at quarter of the hour, people standing at the end of the lap lanes or cutting across the lanes at before ten of the hour while you are trying to swim, and today Steve was giving announcements and people were talking. How hard is it to be quiet and pay attention to the volunteer leader for less than five minutes. The only solution to these problems are cooperation and consideration, which thank goodness almost everyone is. Only a few people think it is all about them and they can ruin it for everyone. At Miona and Seabreeze you must wait outside and are issued tickets to play watervolleyball. I can guess why that policy was put into place. We live in a beautiful place with great sparkling clean pools and instead of making it unpleasant it is very easy to cooperate and be considerate. Thanks to all the volunteers who try to make this a great place to live and stay healthy.