MORGAN HILL
– The much-awaited $12.9 million Morgan Hill Aquatic Center is
open and afloat.
”
We have well over 1,000 people a day, and that includes
drop-ins, lessons, summer day camp and competitive swim team
programs,
”
said Aaron Himelson, the center’s recreation supervisor.
MORGAN HILL – The much-awaited $12.9 million Morgan Hill Aquatic Center is open and afloat.
“We have well over 1,000 people a day, and that includes drop-ins, lessons, summer day camp and competitive swim team programs,” said Aaron Himelson, the center’s recreation supervisor.
There is something for water lovers of every splash – from infant to senior.
How about diving in to it all with a movie first? A flick with a water theme, of course.
Patrons of all ages can splash or sit while watching a double-feature flick.
The movie screen will overlook the instructional pool.
“You can hang out in inner tubes or sit on the deck,” said Theresa Magno, new recreation coordinator. “It’s mostly for fun and to enjoy the experience. We’re going to have more, if there’s a demand.”
Special events will also include “eggstra” morning swim with breakfast and “Teen Howl,” in which teens can come hang out without their parents.
“I like everything,” said Jessica Anderson, 2, who is enrolled in the introductory Cuttle Fish swim class, as she hopped from site to site. Her brother, Michael, 7, was taking a swim lesson with the Pelican class for school-age youngsters.
“The center is really child friendly,” said their mother Bettie Anderson of Morgan Hill. “I have a 7-year-old and I can see where he’s at. The lifeguards are all around instead of just in one place supervising everybody.”
“It’s warm; I can swim; and it’s fun learning,” said Elsa Monterrey, 8, of Morgan Hill, a Pelican, accompanied by her dad, Luis Monterrey.
“I take them for the exercise. We have a ski boat, too” said Luis Monterrey. “They’d probably be watching TV without this.”
Tyler Sadoff, 8, and his sister, Samantha, 6, of Morgan Hill, said they liked that they got to see all their friends at the center.
“The complex has a lot to offer both in and out of the pool,” said their mother Monique Sadoff.
Kids learn to swim by getting their feet wet first in the “zero-depth” recreational pool. In the Cuttle Fish class for youngsters 6 months to 3 years, a parent must accompany them into the water for the introduction.
Preschoolers to school-age youth take progressive swim lessons at the next pool over, the instructional swim tank. Youngsters who are 11 years old and older may qualify later for water safety and lifeguard training sanctioned by the
American Red Cross. There is a day camp jointly run by the swim center and Community and Cultural Center through Aug. 13.
Public swim is every day with extra hours Monday through Thursday, and adult lap swims are offered in the Olympic pool.
The complex is also a practice pad for three competitive swim teams at the 50-meter Olympic deep-water pool.
A big, blue water slide with a 150-foot flume sits nearby.
Two smaller slides are on the play feature at the children’s pool. This play station is in the middle of the pool, which is zero to 18 inches deep. A “beach” stretches along the floor helping toddlers get used to the water, Magno said.
They climb atop, turn knobs, and spurt water in four directions, dumping a bucket, and making waterfalls, sprays and showers. There is a spray ground.
“It’s great for toddlers to run through the sprays. They don’t have to be in deep water,” Magno said.
Seniors can relax in their own world with aerobics classes like “Shallow Tone,” a workout minus the hard impact of the floor and ground surface, Magno said.
In “Deep H20” aerobics, they wear cuffs to keep them afloat.
In “Senior Sculpt,” participants receive a “gentle, cardiovascular” exercise, Magno said.
The center is scheduled to be open seven days a week until Sept. 6, depending on the crowds and the weather, Magno said.
For a schedule, see the center Web site at www.morganhill.ca.gov, or call 782-0008.
