The Battlefords Co-op Aquatic Centre is a beehive of activity now that the new year has come. The kids are back in school and some degree of normalcy has returned to life. And the cold weather makes the pool a good place to be - no frost bite there! And there's lots to choose from.
The daytime school lessons are underway, making for many yellow buses coming and going throughout the day. Jan. 6 saw the beginning of afterschool lessons and there is still space to register if you happened not to have done that yet. That same day also saw the start of the fitness programs, whether they be drop-in or registration.
There are some new lessons going on in the daytime. We are offering preschool lessons Monday and Wednesday mornings at 9 and 9:30 am. We also have adult stroke improvement lessons for those who want to learn to swim or further develop their skills. Why not give the centre a call and book a spot to help deal with the mid-winter blahs?
The drop-in water sports are also back in gear. Underwater hockey goes Wednesday evenings from 7 to 8 p.m. and is for all ages. Water polo takes place Thursday evening (note the change of day) from 7 to 8 p.m. The canoe and kayak program takes place Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. through noon. These activities require a level of comfort in deep water and with having your face in (and sometimes under) the water. The equipment for these activities is provided.
The feature for the month of January is the Take 30 project, which encourages people to get active in increments of 30 minutes, widths, laps, lengths or the like. Participants drop in to pick up a journal and record their activity on a daily basis. Staff at the pool, the field house or the swim coaches will sign the journal for you. An hour's fitness class will count as two units of 30. At the end of 30 days the totals will be tallied - most lengths, most units of fitness class, most laps of the track, most inches lost, most weight lost and the greatest variety of activity. There will be some prizes for those categories.
The user groups are back in action after the holiday break - Orcas Swim Club, Water Doves Synchronized Swim Club and the Scuba Community. All welcome new members and participants with open arms. There's lots happening at the Aquatic Centre. Why not make a point of being part of it and get active this winter. Take 30 for your health, for your life and join in the fun.
