WATER FUN OFFERED AT CITY POOL; SPORTS AVIALABLE TO KIDS AND ADULTS

Beginning today, there's more to do at the Central Municipal pool than just swim. Now, kids and adults can enjoy a water-sport activity in the pool during the evening hours.

Randy Barnhouse, aquatics director with the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department, is hoping the water basketball and water volleyball activities for kids and adults will attract more swimmers to the pool after 5 p.m.

In addition to water basketball, Barnhouse said special lanes will be reserved during the day at both the Central swimming pool and Capaha Park swimming pool for adults to float on their air mattresses.

Until now, air mattresses and basketballs were not permitted at either pool because of the large number of swimmers. But Barnhouse said attendance at the pool drops off considerably after 5 p.m., when water basketball can be played safely.

"We're relaxing the rules, but not sacrificing safety," he explained. "At that time of the day, there are not as many swimmers in the Central Pool, so we'll set up the water basketball goals in the shallow end for the kids, and in another part of the pool for adults."

The water basketball activity only will be at the Central pool, but air mattresses will be permitted in the designated areas of both pools anytime they're open to the public."

Barnhouse said the idea of introducing water sports and air mattresses came up last winter. "We were trying different ideas to boost pool attendance at the Central pool during the winter. Three of them were water basketball, water volleyball and air mattresses," he explained.

"We tripled if not quadrupled our daily attendance during the winter season. We went from 25 swimmers to 100 swimmers per day, and on some weekends we had an average of 200 people using the Central pool to swim, play water sport games and float on the mattresses," Barnhouse said.

He said the water-sport activities were extremely popular with children. "They liked them because during the winter, you get tired of just swimming and jumping in the water. The basketball and volleyball games gave them something extra to do, and kept them out of mischief and misbehaving," he said.

Because of this popularity, the pool staff decided to try the same activities during the summer.

Barnhouse waited a month after the pool opened before starting the water sport activities so an attendance survey to could determine the best time for the activities.

Barnhouse said he also wants to determine if the interest in the Cape area in forming intramural youth and adult water polo leagues that would practice and play each Saturday morning at the Central pool.

"We already have the necessary equipment on hand at the pool," he said. "The only expense at this point would be the regular admission to the pool."

Those interested in playing should contact Barnhouse at the Central pool, or call the pool office, 335-4040, or his home, 339-0656, and leave name, address and telephone number. Participants do not have to be residents of Cape Girardeau.

Barnhouse also is looking for someone to coach a water polo team either a student who has played water polo elsewhere, or someone who has experience in water polo coaching and would like to help get the leagues started.

He said water polo has become a major water sport in larger cities, including St. Louis, where there are private and public water polo teams.