By Sana Cole
The Scene staff
Looking for ways to burn calories this winter? Searching for a new recreational activity to keep you busy?
Officials have reinstituted open swim hours for students, faculty, staff and alumni at the Forest Park pool this fall.
“We found a person to work during (open hours),” said Kirk Martin, facilities supervisor for physical education and athletics.
The pool was only open for swimming classes over the summer.
No open hours were scheduled the first half of summer because the physical-education department went over budget on part-time employees and had to reduce staff, Martin said.
Money became available the second half of summer, he said, “but the (lifeguard had gone) back to school.”
Open swim hours are 10 a.m. to noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Aaron Pelk, 19, has been hired as a lifeguard on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He sees a steady group of six or seven swimmers a week.
“I’m OK with the small number,” said Pelk, a general transfer student from the Florissant Valley campus of St. Louis Community College. “More people would mean more (swimmers) to watch.”
Forest Park alumni Lynn Baker, 66, has frequently taken advantage of open swim hours over the years. She was thrilled to see them return this fall.
“It’s great,” said Baker said. “I was sad when (the pool) closed.”
Baker said she has always loved being in the water. She uses the pool to stay healthy and to exercise her back.
“If I don’t get (exercise) for long periods of time, I can feel it,” she said.
Baker swims on Wednesdays and Fridays. She opts out on Mondays to play bridge with her girlfriends.
“It’s a great facility,” she said. “I just wish it would be more utilized by students and the community.”
General transfer student Rebecca Rodenberg, 20, is a new pool patron. She heard about the opportunity through fliers around campus.
“I like it,” said Rodenberg, who sees swimming as a good form of exercise. “I wish they offered more hours because it’s such a small window.”
Officials aren’t scheduling open hours for the Forest Park fitness room this fall. Martin said this is primarily due to a decline in enrollment.
“We have to have students enrolled (in fitness classes)” he said. “The numbers are down, so it doesn’t make sense to have open fitness hours when students can take the class.”
There is also a liability concern.
“We’ve had some accidents,” Martin said. “We need to have someone (in the fitness room) who’s certified.”
The physical education department still is accepting applications for a lifeguard position. Applicants should call Kirk Martin at 314-644-9718 or stop by his office in Room PE 128.