Not only is the Humboldt Aquatic Centre a good source of physical activity year-round, but it also draws people from as far away as Nokomis.
“It brings a community and families together and increases physical activity in a different way. It’s a good facility to have, especially indoor, because it does give physical activity and fitness to people throughout the winter as well,” said Tawni LeBlanc, the Humboldt Aquatic Centre manager while Pamela Adam is on maternity leave.
Fifteen lifeguards plus a maintenance technician keep the pool up and running. There are senior lifeguards with more experience as well as regular lifeguards. They’re responsible for teaching private lessons, doing water safety instruction, and dealing with cleanliness around the pool and change rooms.
“They’re responsible for keeping everyone safe and making sure everyone’s having a good time,” LeBlanc said.
There are also certain characteristics LeBlanc looks for in a lifeguard.
“Being confident and knowledgeable are definitely two of the main qualities that we like to see,” she said. She added that they have to be able to implement rescues effectively and get along with the other staff members.
Programs at the pool include lane swim, aqua fitness, swimming lessons, water safety instruction, and first aid/CPR instruction.
Staff at the aquatic centre just upgraded all life jackets and got new equipment for lessons like diving rings and sinkable toys. They also have new sinkable silhouettes that look like people for lifeguards to be better trained to recognize if someone is in trouble.
LeBlanc worked as a full-time Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and then worked as a lifeguard for a year before applying for the manager position.
“I applied to further challenge myself, take on more responsibility, and more duties,” LeBlanc said.
The facility is in a good location as well, being connected to the arena, the rink, and Carlton Trail College.
“We get a lot of traffic flow through here, so I think that does bring quite a lot of people into our facility wanting to use it,” she said.
There are several events coming up at the pool in the next few months.
There’s a toonie swim March 29 and people are asked to bring a non-perishable item that will be donated to the food bank. There will be a second toonie swim on April 3.
There will also be a Mother’s Day spa on May 10.
“It’s geared towards mothers, grandmothers, and girls,” LeBlanc said. “They come in for an hour and have an aquafit program and a little spa and just some bonding time.”
New this year is lane swim orientation, which takes place the first evening lane swim of every month, where people learn lane swim etiquette and different types of strokes.
