JCC Reopens Pool

The summer is a time for sunshine, smiles, lemonade and the smell of sunscreen tickling your nostrils as the sounds of splashing water and laughs work in harmony. There is no summer without access to a pool, and JCC’s outdoor heated pools are a great gathering place for members and their guests to cool off, relax and exercise.

Make the most of your membership by using the pool to its fullest this summer. Come swim after work, on weekends with family and friends or after early morning workouts. Use the pool as an opportunity to cool off or warm up. Incorporating the pool into your personal fitness training will add a new dimension to your exercise routine. A low impact workout would be a perfect addition to the fitness regimen of anyone with sore joints.

Since school will be out, the pool will be a safe space for kids to play and exert their juvenile exuberance to their heart’s content. Lifeguards will be overseeing the pool to ensure that the kids are conducting themselves in the most responsible manner possible. If the member’s child is over 15, they are welcome to jump in the pool and come and go as they please. If the member’s child is under 15, an accompanying supervisor is required in order to swim.

Children who are unable to stand with their heads completely above the water in the pool’s shallow end must be accompanied in the water by a supervision adult, sibling or babysitter age 15 or older, unless they pass a test with the lifeguard. The test consists of swimming two widths of the pool and treading water for 30 seconds.

The JCC has a small pool intended for non-swimmers. At the lifeguard’s discretion, older children may be asked to leave the small pool. Lifeguards have the final authority regarding safety issues in the pool and pool area.

Because the JCC pool is a members-only benefit, it is necessary to to bring a membership card to the pool and check-in at the lifeguard desk upon entering the pool area. Guests are welcome when accompanied by a member.

You do not have to be Jewish to become a member of the JCC of Syracuse. Your JCC membership is a one-year commitment and automatically renews each year unless cancellation notice is given in writing. Annual membership is non-refundable and payment is due in full upon joining.

The JCC will again be offering semi- private and private swimming lessons for both children and adults seven days a week outside of member swim time. Due to popular demand, the JCC has added additional time to accommodate more lessons.

The JCC embraces teaching all body types and ages. Taught by Red Cross certified instructors in the JCC’s outdoor heated pool, swimmers of all skill levels are welcome. Infants as young as 6 months old, older children and adults can get started on learning to swim. We also offer lessons for advanced swimmers. There will be 6 different swim levels offered.

The “water babies” level will be for ages 6-months to 3-years old. In the “water exploration” level, swimmers will put their faces in the water for three seconds, and practice supported front and back floats and blow bubbles.

In the “primary skills” level, swimmers will learn to float unsupported on their front and back, flutter kick and begin preliminary arm strokes.

In the “stroke readiness” level, swimmers will jump into deep water and do the front crawl with breathing. They’ll also learn the back crawl, breaststroke and elementary backstroke.

The “stroke development” class will learn and/or improve the elementary backstroke, front and back crawl, breaststroke and sidestroke.

The “mastery” class will learn or improve to the point of stroke mastery. Learning strokes such as the butterfly, open- and closed-flip turns and more.

Children will receive a team T-shirt and compete in a mini inner squad swim meet. Unlike recreational swimming, membership is not required to take swimming lessons, however members receive a discount and priority.

With summer right around the corner. Now is the right time to dive in.