Kids Take the Plunge at Water Carnival

Kids belly-flopped off the diving board. Carnival pitchmen hawked games of chance. Lifeguards showed off their rescue skills.

About the only thing missing from Sunday’s Water Carnival at Recreation Park pool were last week’s broiling temperatures.

Even though the sun only occasionally peeked through a thick layer of clouds, the cool weather did not dampen the spirits of swimmers frolicking in the water.

“Unfortunately, the heat wave broke,” said Gwen Indermill, recreation supervisor with the city Recreation and Community Services Department. “But we still looked forward to putting on the program.”

Despite the less-than-ideal weather, about 75 neighborhood children took the plunge.

A boy shot a basketball into a floating hoop. A girl sat on the pool’s edge and daintily dipped her feet. Another boy performed a jackknife dive. Still others took turns playing water polo.

“There are kids who say there aren’t that many fun things to do,” said pool manager Jason Berry. “I wanted to put this on and see how it worked out. I want to do this on a regular basis.”

While most of the day was focused on fun, it took a serious turn when lifeguards staged a mock rescue of a victim with a spinal-cord injury.

“There are many people in our community who don’t have swimming pools,” Indermill said. “This is a way to expose them to what the lifeguards do, so they will feel safe when they come here.”

The money raised from admission, carnival game tickets and beverage sales will be used to support pool programs, Indermill said.