News

Army Aquatics Managers & Leaders in Fitness, Recreation Keep Learning in San Antonio
Date Posted: 12/17/2008

By Rob McIlvaine
FMWRC Public Affairs

Army Aquatics Managers & Leaders in Fitness, Recreation Keep Learning in San Antonio | Understanding Risk Management at Army Pools | Learning to SWET Might Save a Soldier's Life | Many Garrison Pools will close if not in compliance with new Legislation

For over 11,000 years Native Americans camped along the lush San Antonio River. This December the U. S. Army and the other services “camped” along the river to take part in the 11th Annual Military Fitness Summit, in conjunction with the Athletic Business Conference (ABC).

Army aquatic leaders pose inside Fort Sam Houston’s swimming pool building before taking part in vertical exercise and SWET training. - Photo by Rob McIlvaine, FMWRC Public Affairs

The event brought together 90 Army aquatics leaders from around the world eager to learn current Army initiatives, updates in Army policies, and procedures and changes in regulations; view state-of-the-art aquatic industry developments; and have the chance to receive mandatory certified training.

“So far, over the last 10 years – with one conference every three years – the Army has funded all of our aquatics leaders to attend this conference. I would really like to see us have one every year because of all the new techniques, methods and technical changes,” said Ernest Kanaki, U.S. Army Family & MWR Command aquatics manager and co-coordinator of the conference with Janet MacKinnon, FMWRC Community Recreation chief of operations.

The Army meets every year, alternating between aquatics, athletic directors, and sports and fitness programmers.

“The Marine Corps, the Army and DoD meet every February, either at King Street or Quantico, to discuss what will fit best with their needs,” said Sue Searls, conference director and publisher at ABC.

“At the planning meeting in February, I bring a list of the many submissions for presentations at our conference and then get requests from the military for their needs. For instance, this year, the Army wanted beaches and waterfront so I solicited for submissions on this topic.”

San Antonio’s river, still lush with food now supplied to “campers” by River Walk restaurants in the heart of historic downtown, also flows beneath the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, where ABC and its partners, the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA), the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS), the Medical Fitness Association (MFA) came together with the military for an educational event supplying up-to-date knowledge for athletic, fitness and recreation professionals.

A view from the San Antonio River as it runs under the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center where the 11th Annual Military Fitness Summit was held in San Antonio, Texas. - Photo by Rob McIlvaine, FMWRC Public Affairs

To anyone who thinks that swimming means simply jumping in, doing some laps and cooling off, the information presented at this week-long conference proved there’s much more beneath the surface.

Even those with 30 years of experience in aquatics know the learning never stops.

“When we get certified in things such as lifesaving, this is in essence a learner’s permit,” Kanaki said. “We must keep learning.”

The Army leaders in aquatics, known variously as aquatic directors and managers, lifeguards, operation and facility managers, came to the convention center from garrisons in Korea, Japan, Germany, Hawaii, Washington, New York, Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas.

All wanted to up the ante on their collective learner permits.

Seminars ran the gamut from Natatorium Design (from the Latin, cella natatoria, meaning indoor swimming pool), Water Fitness and Rehabilitation and Aquatic Risk Management to Motivating Aquatic Staff, What’s New with Red Cross Safety and Layering Aquatic Protection with Active Supervision.

Concurrent with Army Aquatics were the conferences of ICAA, NAYS, and MFA, and 200 seminars and workshops. When there was time, the Trade Show offered the chance to meet representatives and test the products from more than 300 leading manufacturers, architects and consultants.

Emmitt Smith was the keynote speaker at the presentation of the 2008 Excellence in Youth Sports awards, and Mark Spitz spoke at the Facility of Merit Awards reception.

The best in aquatics shared winning solutions to build a better facility, develop better programs, run a better operation, market stronger, and aim higher to elevate their organization.

Three of the five winners of the 2008 Excellence in Youth Sports Award, created by the National Alliance for Youth Sports and Athletic Business, were military installations, including Fort Belvoir, Va.

Laurie Denomme, assistant director of operations at Aquatic Exercise Association in Florida leads vertical training in the pool at Fort Sam Houston during the Army aquatics conference in San Antonio, Texas. - Photo by Rob McIlvaine, FMWRC Public Affairs

"As they get older, depending on how their parents guide them, kids can have a tendency to get away from youth sports,” said Jerry Arrington, youth sports director at Fort Belvoir.

“So we try to really focus on the younger kids, to teach them the motor skills so they can be developed and ready for more advanced programs."

Also, four state-of-the-art athletic and recreation centers that have garnered nationwide recognition opened up their doors for offsite tours. Participants had the chance to learn and be inspired by real-world examples.

Trinity University houses the $15 million, 185,215-square-foot William H. Bell Athletic Center which includes the Hixon natatorium, racquetball and squash courts, a fitness center, a weight room and a dance studio. This facility boasts seating for 1,800 spectators, a state-of-the-art sound system, spacious locker rooms and a 3,400-square-foot athletic training room that includes the latest generation of equipment.

The 151,000-square-foot University of Texas-San Antonio Recreation Center features multipurpose basketball courts, an indoor soccer court, 10,000 square feet of free weights and plate-loaded machines, a 4,000-square-foot cardio area, a three-lane track, sand volleyball courts, a 54-foot-high climbing wall, a demonstration kitchen, racquetball courts, exercise studios, an outdoor resource center, and a swim complex with lap lanes, a leisure area, two hot tubs and a lazy river.

The Palo Alto College Natatorium is the site of six U.S. Olympic Festival events (swimming, synchro, water polo, diving, table tennis and modern pentathlon), as well as many collegiate, international, zone regional and state meets. The facility is also used by the police department, military bases and nearby SeaWorld for guard and swim training.

Finally, the Dub Farris Athletic Complex at Palo Alto College comprises the 8,500-seat Dub Farris Stadium and the Northside Natatorium. The stadium, used for football, soccer and by high schools in the Northside Independent School District, is an international (FIFA) spec stadium with synthetic turf. The Natatorium’s 38,000-square-foot indoor pool and13,500-square-foot ancillary area offers locker rooms, rest rooms, offices, classrooms, a student study room and a weight and conditioning room. The facility is an official competition facility and will host a variety of University Interscholastic League, TISCA and USA Swimming competitions.