In the four years that Jamie Newberg has been the manager of the Canora swimming pool, she has observed the pool鈥檚 popularity continue to grow.
There is more interest in general swimming as well as lessons, both group and private, as well as special programs such as Aquafit, she said.
This year, the pool opened on May 31 and will be open daily to August 31, Newberg said. There were 28 swimmers at the pool during the fi rst day of the season on May 31, she said. The opening day numbers were higher this year because of the nice weather.
In the two years previous, rainy weather put a damper on opening day enthusiasm. A total of 93 persons registered for the two-week swimming lessons that began on June 15, Newberg said.
Lessons are offered from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. With Newberg, the other instructors are Chelsi Reay, Scott Popoff and Sheldon Newberg.
Those registered for lessons attend fi ve days a week for the two-week session, she said. The session for preschool to Level 3 lasts up to a half hour. Swimmers in levels four to seven attend 45-minute sessions and those in levels eight to 10, attend one-hour sessions.
Canora swimming pool 鈥� the place to be this summer The pool is busy week-day mornings from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. for the high school students, Newberg said. Chelsi Reay, who is a Canora high school student, assists Newberg during these sessions. When the elementary school students use the pool during school hours, Paige Shyiak assists Newberg.
From June 30 to July 3, an assistant lifeguard course will be taught by Newberg. There are four persons registered thus far but more are welcome. This course is a prerequisite for swimmers wishing to take a pool lifeguard course.
This is the third year that Newberg has been offering the course. With 13 on the pool鈥檚 staff with Newberg, she noted that she has trained all of them, except for two. 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty cool that I trained them.鈥�
From July 6 to 10, private one-on-one swimming lessons will be offered, Newberg said. All 50 spots have been filled and there are 16 on a waiting list.
Private lessons are popular so each year, a waiting list is started after the fi rst register, she said. During the Canora in Bloom week, the pool is always busy, Newberg said. After the Canora in Bloom events are over, the pool staff will turn their attention to the group swimming lessons which go to the end of the month.
In August, the first week is dedicated to group swimming lessons and the second week is dedicated to private lessons.
From August 24 to August 28, the pool lifeguard course will be offered through the Canadian Red Cross.
This is the second year that the course has been offered by Newberg, who is certifi ed by the Red Cross. The popularity of Aquafit keeps growing, she said. It is held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
If there is enough interest, a morning session will be held 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
