Observation: YMCA Swimming Pool

I arrived at the South Shore YMCA at 11 am on Wednesday, September 3, 2003 for my first observation and every weekday after that for three days. Upon observing the full parking lot, I got the feeling that the pool area would likely be packed with people. As I entered the immediate area to the pool, I immediately remarked on the fact that there was approximately a 2:1 ratio of children to adults. I also took note of the fact that the pool was occupied almost entirely by children ranging in ages of four to 12 years.

In the one hour I remained at the pool, I observed different things. I took note of the fact that, for the most part, skill level, as well as age, is a separator of the children in the pool. The older children were more likely to be found on the deep end of the pool; the younger children in the shallow end. The two parts of the pool are separated by a thick rope along the middle, going across the

This forced separation made the inexperienced swimmers’ experience safer. In my observation I found the swimmers in the deep end to be more aggressive. These children seemed to have a lot more experience in the pool and thus, more comfortable in the water. They enjoyed playing water games such as “Marco Polo” and even occasionally engaged in rough-housing such as dunking and holding one another under the water. Whatever the swimmers were doing, their every move being carefully monitored by four lifeguards, ready to take action if necessary.

When looking around me, alongside the pool, I got a glimpse at the other functions the pool serves. On the bleachers, I noticed sitting were adults. Upon questioning several “spectators” I noticed a pattern: most of them were mothers of the swimmers; a few were baby-sitters. Upon even further questioning, I came to find that the mothers were “stay-at home moms” with husbands who work white-collar jobs who frequently bring their children to the Y. Bringing their children to the pool, the moms were able to, according to one mother “kill two birds with one stone.” Not only were their children able to release their energy, their mothers got a chance to relax and

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