<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Bad pool habits: Clear and concise rules needed
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to last Saturday's letter by Mrs Susan May Amis, 'Promote swimming properly in our pools'.
Yes, Singapore has some of the best swimming pools and sports facilities among the 40 countries I have had the fortune to live and work in. The foresight of the Government in providing world-class facilities that are easily accessible at a reasonable cost should allow every Singaporean to achieve that perfect balance of a healthy body and a healthy mind.
Unfortunately, my bad experiences in public pools equal or exceed those pointed out by Mrs Amis. Bad habits have built up over the past 15 years, despite many attempts at intervention by the Singapore Sports Council (SSC), pool management and guards, and pool users themselves.
These bad habits include:
Spitting and clearing nasal passages in the pool and drainage gutters;
Smoking in the washrooms well after the smoking ban was imposed;
Urinating in the showers;
Not showering before entering the pool (some pools even close the showers during renovations); and
Not coordinating between user groups, so a few users make it impossible for others to use the pool. These include closing the last 5m of a 50m competition pool for dance classes or beginner swimming lessons, when other teach pools are available and are probably safer for new users.
Unfortunately, this behaviour has built up, with no resolution over a 15-year period. Around 1997, I wrote to the SSC and outlined this behaviour. I was contacted immediately and thanked for bringing it to light. I was told an education programme would be developed and signs posted to eliminate these problems.
However, even now the same problems persist, and at a higher level given what appears to be an increasing number of users.
It appears that for any real reform to occur at public pools, senior management at the SSC needs to take ownership of these problems. In these days of Influenza A (H1N1), pool hygiene is of paramount importance. Understanding this, the authorities need to develop a clear and concise set of rules and educate and engage pool management, staff and all users.
David Grant
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to last Saturday's letter by Mrs Susan May Amis, 'Promote swimming properly in our pools'.
Yes, Singapore has some of the best swimming pools and sports facilities among the 40 countries I have had the fortune to live and work in. The foresight of the Government in providing world-class facilities that are easily accessible at a reasonable cost should allow every Singaporean to achieve that perfect balance of a healthy body and a healthy mind.
Unfortunately, my bad experiences in public pools equal or exceed those pointed out by Mrs Amis. Bad habits have built up over the past 15 years, despite many attempts at intervention by the Singapore Sports Council (SSC), pool management and guards, and pool users themselves.
These bad habits include:
Spitting and clearing nasal passages in the pool and drainage gutters;
Smoking in the washrooms well after the smoking ban was imposed;
Urinating in the showers;
Not showering before entering the pool (some pools even close the showers during renovations); and
Not coordinating between user groups, so a few users make it impossible for others to use the pool. These include closing the last 5m of a 50m competition pool for dance classes or beginner swimming lessons, when other teach pools are available and are probably safer for new users.
Unfortunately, this behaviour has built up, with no resolution over a 15-year period. Around 1997, I wrote to the SSC and outlined this behaviour. I was contacted immediately and thanked for bringing it to light. I was told an education programme would be developed and signs posted to eliminate these problems.
However, even now the same problems persist, and at a higher level given what appears to be an increasing number of users.
It appears that for any real reform to occur at public pools, senior management at the SSC needs to take ownership of these problems. In these days of Influenza A (H1N1), pool hygiene is of paramount importance. Understanding this, the authorities need to develop a clear and concise set of rules and educate and engage pool management, staff and all users.
David Grant
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