Swim Center wins programming award

Carson Valley Swim Center received some love Valentine’s Day, receiving the 2023 Best of Aquatics Award for Programming from Aquatics International at the Association of Aquatic Professionals 2024 Conference in Reno at the Grand Sierra Resort on Feb. 14.

“We made a promise to the community to serve them first and keep the facility in excellent condition,” Director Shannon Harris said. “The swim center’s programming reflects this promise as well.”

The center, located in Minden, observes its 35^th anniversary on April 21. It cost $2.5 million to build at the time.

Carson Valley Swim Center is operated by the East Fork Swimming Pool District with taxing authority and an elected board of trustees, something Harris said is unusual for aquatics facilities. While most aquatics centers get funded through the county or Parks and Recreation department, being a special district allows the swim center to receive property taxes.

“The facility’s resources allow staff to provide recreation, swim and water safety training, and entertainment for the community. Having four indoor pools makes it possible to have year-round programming, with more actually occurring in fall and winter months, when traffic has slowed down, opening up space,” according to the center “Not all aquatics facilities can offer year-round programming and serve several different community needs.”

The center creative solutions to keep programs scheduled and staffed.

“Since the facility is near open water, one of the swim center’s largest programs and largest missions is to teach swim safety and water safety,” center officials said. “Swimming lessons are available for every age group — from children starting at 6 months old up to adults with little or no swimming skills. Swim lesson programs run all year.”

In February, water safety sessions are offered in partnership with the county search and rescue team.

“They come in with their rafts and kayaks, and we learn to deal with kids falling out of boats, or we use our water slide [to teach] water safety in moving water,” said Aquatic Supervisor Sarah Davenport. “The objective of this program is to involve parents and kids in water safety education.”

Those who want to learn springboard diving, the center offers summer lessons in two- week sessions. The same program is done during the school year, as Saturday afternoon sessions, to make it easier for parents to attend with their kids.

Special adult swim programs and water aerobics are available year-round in the morning before the pool opens to the public.

“We do water aerobics six days a week, several classes a day, year-round,” Harris says. “We take great pride in that.”

Some programs are designed to integrate the aquatics facility into the larger community. These are created in partnership with either the hospital, physical therapy offices, school district, Douglas County Search and Rescue, and other similar organizations.

For example, the facility neighbors Douglas High School, so Harris’ team created a partnership with the school to help kids become better swimmers. Davenport co-teaches aquatics classes with a high-school- certified teacher. Kids are also taught lifeguard and CPR first aid courses.

“So if they want a job, they can walk in ... at the end of the school year and fill a lot of our summer employment holes,” Harris says.

This has helped the center stay staffed amid a national lifeguard shortage.

In exchange for its help with the center’s swim lesson program, the Douglas County Search and Rescue team trains at the center for free. The facility also worked to certify the school district’s bus drivers in CPR, first aid, and AED over the past year.

Safety is at the core of many of the programs.

“If we’re going to have 130,000 to 140,000 visits a year, we want to make sure they all go home safe,” Harris says.