BY NEIL OSTAFICHUK
Once again we reach that time of year where we bid adieu to the water in our swimming pools, wistfully waving farewell as fond memories of swimming and socializing are swirled away into the draining vortex of the year gone by. I speak of the annual pool shutdown, of course, where we drain, inspect, scrub, regrout, paint and generally do a more intensive cleaning than the regular intensive cleanings we do throughout the year. Behind the scenes, we have a couple of pumps that we have to deal with as well as all the filter and UV system maintenance that isn’t possible to perform while running.
Happening from August 26th to September 8th inclusive, the shutdown offers opportunities to expand your horizons and try something different. Yah, yah, I know – you’re a swimmer and the dryland thing isn’t really that alluring and you have to harvest your squash anyway…What about if we make it easy by offering all our Shutdown Showcase programs for free? Because this years Shutdown Showcase is generously sponsored by Denne Ahlefeld, CPA, we can do just that – throw open the doors to swimmers and non-swimmers, adults and teens alike and offer almost 50 programs at no charge to the public. There is a wide variety to choose from - shinny hockey to Musical Theatre and from Bellydance to Savvy Seniors with a bunch in between.
So, piqued your interest? You can check out the brand new Fall Leisure Guide at www.rdck.ca or wait for the brochure to show up in your mailbox the week of August 21st – just remember registration starts Aug 28th. I had a quick thumb through the draft copy I kind of “borrowed” from a programmers desk when they were on coffee and was duly impressed with all the programs aimed at children and teens. At the risk of overusing the word “cool” as I am known to do, I still have to say there are some cool programs in this issue for all ages as well as events, pro-d days, training – you name it.
By the time you read this, the ice will be in at the Johnny Bucyk Arena for another season. The maintenance crew started this annual ritual 8 or so days ago with the firing up of the compressors, sealing the floor, light flooding, painting white, sealing again, painting all the lines, circles and logos, sealing yet again and finally many floods to build it up to just under an inch thick. Because of the experience we have on staff, the process is pretty seamless but there are still a few people limping around for a day or so after spending a number of hours on kneepads meticulously painting on the frozen surface. It didn’t help that after 8 hours or so on ice, they had to walk outside into 34 degrees C; if you listened closely to them, you could hear the same sound as when you pour water into glass full of ice cubes.
These are the indicators that summer is moving into autumn; pool shutdown, the Fall Leisure Guide, the ice going in, the back to school advertising, shivering maintenance staff; but rest assured, we have a lot of good weather ahead of us to do some great stuff both in and outdoors!