One of the best things about the swimming pool is that it lends itself so well to aquatic games. Most people who spent any time around the pool as kids have played their share of Marco Polo or participated in relay races. Accessories like water-volleyball nets (figure A) take game-playing to levels of serious competition. There are plenty of games, though, that require little or nothing in the way of equipment but can nevertheless provide hours of enjoyment among family and friends. Games are also a great way of coaxing young, apprehensive swimmers into the pool. One very simple game is cork-scramble. This game is best played with a large number of contestants. Simply throw an assortment of floating objects into the pool while the players are poolside with their backs turned (figure B). When someone says go, everyone jumps into the pool and scrambles to collect as many objects as possible. When all the objects are collected, the player with the most objects wins that round. Of course, an underwater variation on this can be played using coins or other objects that sink to the bottom. The players just need to be good swimmers and adept at holding their breath. One company makes hollow balls that sink to the bottom and are painted white to match the bottom of the pool. The matching color adds to the challenge as players try to retrieve all of the balls. One of the balls contains a frog, and the player who gets the frog is the winner. The hula-hoop game (figure C) is a team game in which players join hands in a circle, but not before two of them have placed their hands through a hula-hoop. At the go signal, the players on each team attempt to move the hoop over the head and beneath the feet of the teammate next to them. The first team to pass the hoop completely around the circle wins.
RESOURCES :
American Red Cross swimming, safety and fitness information
The Web site of the American Red Cross features a section on swimming, fitness, aquatic safety and lifeguarding.
Web site: www.redcross.org/hss/aquatics/index.html
swiminfo.com
A comprehensive online resource for swimming. Includes related links and subscription information for swimming publications SWIM magazine and Swimmer's World.
Web site: www.swiminfo.com
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