Recently, my home YMCA has decided to band the use of Noodles during family/open swim times. They cite the floating foam (which can be used as a reaching assist, be used as an instructional aid, fun "thingy", etc. if used properly) as a "safety hazard". Not only is the ban news to me, so is the "hazard" label. Our pool always has at least 2 lifeguards (for a 6 lane, 25 yd pool) during the open swim times and requires that parents/guardians remain in the immediate area - if not in the pool - with their children.
I think my aquatics department has been hijacked by two non-swimmers who are too busy making up crimes to focus on real issues such as inceased times/lanes for competitive swimmers, monitoring pool temps & chemicals, etc.
My questions are:
How many other facilities have banned such fun floating objects?
What types/kinds of accidents have you experienced with the Noodle?
Do you think they have a basis for their decision?
ps. The facility stocks and uses the banned items during swim lessons and exercise classes.
Ok, I can see both sides of this. I would guess that the main area for concern is kids using the noodles to swim to water where they can't touch, slipping off the noodle and getting in trouble. Maybe some troublemakers were really slapping noodles at other people? Still, I'm not sure how much damage a foam noodle can cause.
At the same time, if there are 2 lifeguards for a 6 lane pool, that doesn't sound like that huge of an area to cover (for a guard). We used to have 1 lifeguard for a 6 lane, 25 yd pool with an L-attached diving well where I guarded and managed. Maybe your Y gets insanely busy during Family Swim??? Maybe the parents do a terrible job of watching their kids? I once had to jump in for a 5 year old who jumped off the side into 3 1/2 ft deep water because I couldn't get the attention of his mother jabbering away about 1 foot from where her sons head was under the water. Dumb dumb dumb.
Our summer 'pool' is a converted limestone quarry that gets pretty murky at times. Other than during Adult Float (no one under the age of 18 allowed inside the park, period) no floatie devices of any sort other than Coast Guard approved are allowed. Due to the murky water and the fact that on a busy there are probably over 200 people there, this rule makes a lot of sense... alot more sense than at a small, hopefully crystal clear Y-pool. (You also have to be able to swim ~110 yds freestyle to be allowed in the deep end if you haven't yet graduated from 8th grade.)
Ok, I can see both sides of this. I would guess that the main area for concern is kids using the noodles to swim to water where they can't touch, slipping off the noodle and getting in trouble. Maybe some troublemakers were really slapping noodles at other people? Still, I'm not sure how much damage a foam noodle can cause.
At the same time, if there are 2 lifeguards for a 6 lane pool, that doesn't sound like that huge of an area to cover (for a guard). We used to have 1 lifeguard for a 6 lane, 25 yd pool with an L-attached diving well where I guarded and managed. Maybe your Y gets insanely busy during Family Swim??? Maybe the parents do a terrible job of watching their kids? I once had to jump in for a 5 year old who jumped off the side into 3 1/2 ft deep water because I couldn't get the attention of his mother jabbering away about 1 foot from where her sons head was under the water. Dumb dumb dumb.
Our summer 'pool' is a converted limestone quarry that gets pretty murky at times. Other than during Adult Float (no one under the age of 18 allowed inside the park, period) no floatie devices of any sort other than Coast Guard approved are allowed. Due to the murky water and the fact that on a busy there are probably over 200 people there, this rule makes a lot of sense... alot more sense than at a small, hopefully crystal clear Y-pool. (You also have to be able to swim ~110 yds freestyle to be allowed in the deep end if you haven't yet graduated from 8th grade.)
