Swimming Pools

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Enjoying a Safe Swimming Pool

How much you enjoy your swimming pool and its surroundings depends to a large extent on your imagination in transforming the area into a center for recreation and relaxation. But your ultimate enjoyment will be determined by the rules you adopt and the methods you use to ensure the safe use of your swimming pool.

Recreation in and around the Swimming Pool

Many new swimming pool owners say, “We just swim.” But after a single season of swimming pool use, these same people are bursting with new ideas – games they have invented, different ways to exercise, and new twists on old party ideas.

Coming up with creative ways to use your swimming pool not only adds to your fun but also is a good way to channel in-the-pool activities in safe directions.

Water Games

In-the-pool games don't have to be complicated – the water itself is enough of an attraction to satisfy most people. Always keep the ages of the players in mind. Though small children enjoy a balloon race across the width of the swimming pool, older children demand more vigorous games, like water polo, water basketball, tag or keep-away.

Manufactured Games

Most often, these games are in-the-pool floaters that go in the water for fun and come out when the game's over. Some are variations on standard games like volleyball and horseshoes; others are floating boards for checkers and other sedentary games. You can also purchase underwater rings for youngsters to swim through or grab and bring to the surface.

With add-ons, you can transfer almost any game into the water. If you have a favorite sport, talk to your swimming pool designer before you build the pool to see if your game can be built in.

Homemade Games

From racing floating plastic cups to installing more complicated sports equipment, you choice is as unlimited as your imagination.

You can add a basketball net to you pool˙Purchase a standard backboard with ring and net and bolt it to a 4 centimeter angle-iron frame that will fit the end of the diving board. Mount the frame to the board with two C-clamps.

Another great game is the fishing game, which can keep small children occupied at the shallow end of the swimming pool. Make fish out of metal canning lids, adding tails of plastic ribbon. Then tke a dowel or stick, tie a long string from the end, and hang a magnet on the string for a hook. Drop several metal fish into the water, and let the children see who can come up with the most. Just be sure that you remove all metal from the water when the game is over.

For a little practice on more advanced fishing techniques, you can throw an old bicycle tube in the water and use it as a target for fly casting. Replace your fishing hook with a bolt or practice plug.