Ah, the good old days at the pool. As kids, we went many days during the summer. Year after year we enjoyed the pool since loads of friends would be there with you. When we got older, several guys would  challenge each other to different dives. Mick was one guy that really could do some great dives. He wasn't very big but very flexable and he made it tough for the rest of us. One day we were doing some crazy dives and John Pos was life guard at the time. I was trying to do a  one and a half gainer, which is very hard to do and I hit my head on the diving board. As I came up to the surface, John was waiting to see if I was O.k.. Not so much since I needed stitches in my head. I went home and my mom called the doc ( back then the doc would come to the house) and he put 6 stitches in my head. I spent many a day having FUN at the pool thru-out my life. Gary Luft and I took  a life saving course one year and had a blast. I even posted a picture of us, on my profile, when the newspaper did an article on lifesaving classes. I remember that I had Sherry Loker as a partner, she was the drowning person and I had to swim out and rescue her. There was a procedure you had to follow which required you to put your arm over their shoulder and your hand under their arm. WELL, Sherry was very well developed and I didn't know were to put my hand. We treaded water for a little bit and she finally said put your hand under my arm pit. We had a good laugh.  

In grade school I took swimming lessons at the old YWCA with my sister.  When I got old enough, I got my Red Cross Lifesaving Badge and taught swimming at both Lewis Pool and Leif Erickson Pool.  The pools were my "second home".  It was difficult for my parents, as the Polio Epidemic in the early '50's had made public pools suspect for spreading the virus.  I loved teaching the kiddies, but some of my best teenage Summer memories were sitting in on a towel, in the grass by the fence at Lewis Pool.  We spent hours watching the Morningside College boys go by.  Our classmate Joanie Wallman (Hansen) was a diving board gymnast.  Her Mom would stop by the fence to watch Joanie do her "jack knife" dives into the water.  Remember the little popcorn/snack trailer outside the pool?  Popcorn and candy was only 10 cents as I recall. 

Lewis pool was always a good place to have alot of fun in the summer.  You could count on alot of your friends there.  The popcorn for a dime was always good and the smell was also super and that was free. Remember the big safety pin you had to get your dry clothes when leaving.  Somethimes you just left wet and why not.  Good clean fun and thankful not alot of $$$$ because nobody had any money.  At least they still have the pool for the kids now just moved over alittle.

My nephew had an experience that he will never forget at Lewis pool. He and his buddies decided to go swimming one night. Only problem was, the pool was CLOSED. So, they climbed the fence and was having a great time until the cops showed up. Up over the fence they went and they took off running as fast as they could. It was really dark out and they got away. The problem----they left their clothes with their I.D.'s laying on the inside of the fence. My nephew ran home, NO CLOTHES ON, hiding behind bushes and trees on the way. He had about 10 blocks to his house and managed to make it home safely. PROBLEM #2---the cops showed up with his I.D. and clothes. Of course he was grounded for a month or so and my brother talked about that for years afterwards. KIDS--what are you going to do with them?