Making waves
Mary Lou Tooch is walking from Butler to Erie, but only in one-mile increments while wearing her swimsuit.
The 76-year-old Butler woman is participating in the Butler County Family YMCA's Walk Across Pennsylvania program. As part of her fitness routine at the Y, Tooch is walking 100 miles — the distance to Erie — tracking each mile on a chart and earning rewards at designated milestones.
A longtime Y goer, Tooch said she has always walked in the pool, but the program has increased her desire to put in the miles and has kept her workouts interesting.
"I walk an average of one to two miles every day that I'm here," Tooch said. "Probably an average of three days a week. I didn't really count the laps I was doing before (I) got into this," she added."I think it does motivate me a lot. I go every chance I get."According to aquatic director Amy Brennan, the walking program and its counterpart, Swim Across America, are among many recreational activities that boost attendance at local pools."We really don't have very much down time in our pool," Brennan said, citing a range of increasing options.In addition to standard offerings like open swim and lessons, the Butler Y sometimes offers aquatic versions of yoga, called yoqua, as well as tai chi, called ai chi when performed in water.Other classes include Hydrofit, a water aerobics class; and Deep Definition, a deep water fitness class that tones the body as participants rely on their muscles to stay afloat."I guess you would kind of compare it to using weights: cardio versus strengthening," Brennan said, noting participants can use flotation devices to lessen the workout's intensity.Many pools in Butler County also cater to senior citizens. Facilities like the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township and the Aebersold Student Recreation Center at Slippery Rock University offer general aquasize classes or arthritis stretch clinics throughout the year.The McLaughlin pool, one of two at the Butler Y, offers Silver Splash, Seniorcise and Aquathritis in 89-degree water. The typical temperature for a lap pool is usually between 81 and 83 degrees, Brennan said.
For those setting their goals on natural bodies of water, some pools offer scuba classes.Those classes are scheduled periodically at YMCAs in Butler, Cranberry Township and Grove City as well as at Seneca Valley High School through Butler County Community College.Though drastically different from the gentle stretching classes geared toward the elderly, senior citizens can participate in scuba."(Students) can start beginning training at age 10 and there is no upper limit, as long as they have their health and they're comfortable in the water," said Scott Camerlo of Scott's Scuba Service in Freeport, who teaches at the Butler Y.Health limitations include severe asthma, diabetes, cardiac issues and epilepsy, he added.Bill Downey of Economy, who offers classes through BC3 and at the Cranberry Y, agrees."We get the whole spectrum," said Downey, who operates Downey Diving with his wife Jeanne."We get a lot of family groups with teenagers, because it's one of the few things that's so cool teenagers will do it — even with their parents."Downey said scuba classes also attract people preparing for tropical vacations and empty nesters who want to experience something new."There is really no demographic that's exclusive to diving," he said.YMCA scuba classes and those offered through BC3 are scheduled periodically throughout the year, comprising five or six sessions that conclude with an outdoor dive. No equipment is needed to take the classes, which cost between $128 and $300.Although children as young as 8 can participate in training, they must be 12 or older to become certified. Certification also requires participants to tread water for 10 minutes and swim eight lengths of the pool with no time limit.Since the diving classes are so intensive, Downey said the BC3 and Cranberry Y classes have a ratio of at least one instructor per four students.The three-hour sessions typically include an hour of classroom time with two hours spent in the pool. Some scuba students later participate in group dive vacations, often coordinated by instructors, he said.
Also focused on outdoor activities are kayaking clinics at SRU."We always have a pretty full group. We take up to 18 to 20 each night," said KarenPerry, assistant director of the campus rec center.To accommodate a variety of schedules, Perry said the $5 roll clinics are typically scheduled for a different day each week, and a special session for children is offered each semester.To accommodate various abilities at the weekly clinics, an early session is geared toward first-time or novice kayakers. A later class targets experienced paddlers.Attendance in the clinics, which don't require preregistration, ranges between 12 and 20 people.In addition to clinics in the pool, Perry said SRU offers a kayak adventure weekend each April, in which attendees participate in safety and kayaking exercises indoors before an outdoor venture in Slippery Rock Creek.
Although most pools are equipped to teach children to swim, Brennan said adults also seek lessons.To meet the demand, the Butler Y offers adult learn-to-swim classes or adult stroke classes for those who can swim a length or two in the pool but need some help with their rotary breathing."It seems to be people who have their 50th birthday and they want to learn to swim. Or they quit smoking and they're going to learn to swim," Brennan said."It's usually older adults who do that class. We rarely see anyone 20 to 30 in that class," she said.For the sportier minded pool-goer, many facilities, such as SRU, have basketball hoops and other accessories on hand for playing games in the water.But people interested in organized sports can check out the underwater hockey program offered at Pine-Richland High School on Warrendale Road in Gibsonia.Debbie Ramage of Cranberry Township coordinates the informal games, which occur at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. Teams are picked from whoever shows up to play, and games last until one of the teams scores 10 points."We usually need at least six people to play," she said. "We all wear masks, fins or snorkels, (which) can be provided at the pool. We wear gloves because we scrape our knuckles on the bottom of the pool," said the 57-year-old Ramage, the oldest player and only woman who shows up."It's $3 at the door. All ages and abilities are welcome," she said. "We're always looking for new players. It's not so much competitive as much as a great way to get exercise and have fun."
