Using Indoor Aquatics to Engage Members During Winter

On the surface, winter months and aquatics programming don’t seem like a good match. Because members enjoy swimming any time of year, cold weather doesn’t have to signal a months-long hiatus from pool usage — provided you have an indoor aquatics facility, of course.

According to Johnny Kimberlin, the aquatics director at the Jewish Community Center of Louisville, the key is providing the same engaging programs for indoor aquatics as you would for your outdoor pool. “Keep the programming opportunities flowing and members will come,” he said. “Also, allowing family swim time is very important, as a lot of families just like to spend time together, having fun in the pool.”

To encourage indoor pool usage, the Louisville J offers monthly promotions for The J Swim School and its group aquatics classes:

• Water Blast — a high-energy class in shallow water focused on burning calories.
• Club 60 — a low-impact class for senior adults that focuses on stretching, balance and breathing.
• Deep Intervals — a workout for new and experienced participants that uses intervals to increase cardiovascular fitness and muscular strength while on flotation devices.
• Deep Water — a workout in deep water that includes endurance, range of motion strength and cardio exercises.

The J Swim School, the Louisville J’s most popular aquatics program, offers swim lessons and a variety of its own fitness programs. “The J Swim School is popular with members and non-members and keeps the pool filled during hours of operation,” said Kimberlin. “You don’t have to be a member to participate in The J Swim School — however, members do receive a discount.”

In addition to The J Swim School and its four specialized aquatics classes, the Louisville J also offers family swim times. In fact, with so many indoor aquatics activities available, having enough space for everyone is the organization’s biggest challenge during the winter months.

“Swimming is such a popular activity and great cardio workout, that we find our biggest challenge is pool space,” said Kimberlin. “We try to maintain the right mix of open lap, family and aquatic classes so that everyone can get a turn in the pool.”

Whether it’s families coming for swim time, kids taking swim lessons or senior adults attending the Club 60 class, there’s an indoor aquatics program for any member of any age at the Louisville J. By offering a wide variety of programs, your indoor pool can also become a destination during the cold months.