Photo Credit: Courtesy of Safe Step
This column, “LBWA” (Leadership By Wandering Around), is based on the premise that, in order to find out what’s going on in the field, a parks and rec leader has to leave his or her desk and “wander around” the area of operations, talk to people, ask questions, and kick around ideas with the individuals in the thick of delivering services to the public. So the author will bring up issues that may be common to many PRB readers and ask the leaders who are the readers to weigh in and share their knowledge and experiences.
“No running in the pool area” is a phrase commonly heard by any parks and rec professional responsible for an aquatic facility, whether it’s a neighborhood pool with a five-foot kiddie-slide or one of the mega-water parks with slides in the clouds.
It’s a constant challenge to keep kids—or even some young or young-at-heart adults—at a safe walking speed when they’re having a blast at the water park.