Hi Mao,
OK, thanks for the apology - after all there are members who do not fit into the categories you descri4bed
Also, did not know about the early AM hours.

Yes, I don't really undersand it- that is the two extra hours early in the morning that no one knows about. And apparently the guy is never late. I remember years ago, we got the city to open it at 6 for Masters and he was late every other day.

Wow, thank you for that info! They certainly aren't advertising it.

As far as I know, the Masters Team has not gotten off the ground. However, the pool, if you can believe this, is open at 5:00 am every day and has been for years. It seems it was sort of informal at first because the mayor liked to swim at this time and now is official. It's very handy. Several of the refugees from Stevens' Masters are now there at 5:00 on the dot. That is too early for me.

Also, sometimes they have two or three lanes rented out to Scarlet Age Group team.

So...it's open at 6 am or just open for the Masters team members?

Sorry- I thought the categories I describe were descriptive and did not mean to be obnoxious. Ideally, what communities do is have a pool at 90 for that list of persons. It is smaller and shallow for that purpose. There are already about a half dozen pools in the city that fit this description. They are in public schools and these programs could be done there.

Btw, the pool has been at 84 which is just barely bearable for lap swimming. Thanks Pershing!

ALso, the age group team that is swimming there now welcomes out of towners. Bravo Rosemarie. This is a great asset for the city.

Yours,

Obnoxius Mao

Mao,
While I agree that, at times, the pool may be too warm, this is a COMMUNITY pool and, therefore is meant to be used by "arthritic elderly, for infants, and for water exercises for women who cannot swim" and for any other Jersey City resident who want to swim in accordance with the pool rules.

Your categorization of pool members is obnoxious. Get off your high horse.

I have no problem if the Masters Team want to pay extra for EXTRA hours, but any time that would used for the Masters should NOT AFFECT or OVERLAP existing member hours (e.g., Master Team hours should be finished by 7AM or only begin after 8PM on weekdays). And, I must ask, if funding was so good, why did Stevens shut down the program?

Mao, hats off to you and your never-ending battles to have the pool temperature lowered. It's pretty perfect. I could go even a few degrees colder, but I'm tentatively excited about coming to Pershing over Stevens.

2 things:

1) Is the pool officially open at 6 am now, or is 7 am the earliest I can go?

2) My ONLY issue is that while I was swimming, I saw a clump of hair float by. I had to leave right away after that. I wish we could get a pre-shower mandate instituted. I know the chemicals should take care of all that but it's just flat out disgusting.

FYI- was in the pool yesterday with my three year old and the water was perfect for lap swimming- water 82, air, like 75.

There is a report that a Masters Team will be starting up there in the next two weeks at 6:00 am and that the water temperature issue is solved.

But the warm water is actually fine for teaching your wife to swim...

Quote:

I should check that out at some point since it is just a short walk from my apartment. My wife wants me to teach her how to swim at some point.. Shame about the pool being so warm as no way I could do laps. I don't handle heat well. Doing laps in a hot pool causes me to overheat instantly..

Cheap! I think they raised it from $75 a year to $100 for individuals and there is a great family rate. Drop in is $3 I think.

Out of curiosity, what is the membership for the pool? I'm assuming it's not free but the flyer found on the city website only quotes spouses, family, and seniors.

Thanks T-bird!

And I would point out, the best model for the pool is how the ice rink is run. The rink has great ice and a great youth program trough Charlie Hager that is a fraction of the cost of suburban programs which allows kids from any strata to take up ice hockey. The same should be true at the pool.

Also, the pool is actually very underutliized. I have swum laps at varrious times when I am the only person in the pool. It is so underutilized, in fact, that the lap swimmers seem unaware of how to circle swim (which you have to do whenever there are more than two people in a lane). And, of course, although there is a sign that directs people to circle swim and to segregate by speed, no one does on the rare occassion when it is crowded. I suggest that it is n ot crowded because lap swimmers are chased away by the high temps.

Well, yea, the letter is overheated- no pun intended. There is almost zero chance anything happens as I have been asking for 20 years. And though it is aimed at getting a Masters team, it argues most strongly for an age group team for kids. The pool is just not meant for the use that it is getting. I can't imagine how much it costs to heat that to 86 or 90 degrees. The typical temperature. Yes, there is a dedicated constituency that enjoys this. But it would make sense if this were moved to one of the many old public pools in the city. There is plenty of parking, for example, near PS 22. And the reverse does not work- you can't really use these smaller pools for a serious swim team. When you think about it, given Pershing field and the fact that so many high schools in town have pools, Jersey City could be a real swimming mecca- not the desert it is. There seems to be a strange desire to prevent swimming as a sport. I was at a meet for my oldest son several years ago at Dickenson. The pool was over 90 degrees. They had the meet anyway. I thought the kids in the 500 were going to die. Also, I realize that some people run cold. But they can wear a wet suit and deal with their discomfort that way. It does not work the reverse. Also, we live in a state where the Ocean temperature rarely gets above 70. How does the idea that swimmable water must be over 85 make sense? Anyway, sorry for the histrionics and don't worry, nothing will happen. The pool will stay 90 degrees. It will break down periodically from rust and over use of chemicals necessitated by the overheating..etc.

I thought your letter was spot on, Mao. It's too bad it will likely fall on deaf ears and that the initial reaction is about your tone (which, if you understand pools and swimming, you wouldn't have found inappropriate.)

My high-school aged kids both swim competitively and the few times they've gone to Pershing to try to get a session in have said the same thing about the heat of the water. Facilities that host swim teams (clubs, masters, tri-training, etc.) are sorely lacking in Hudson County - swimming is a great sport that teaches kids self-discipline and the value of hard work. It's also a fantastic way for adults to stay in shape.

Not for nothing, but that letter comes across as very pompous. There is no denying that the Pershing Field pool is kept too warm, but lots of people still manage to use it on a daily basis for lap swimming early in the morning without being "over heated and exhausted". Also, you single handedly decided that a Masters Swim Team is more important than the needs of all other JC residents by deciding that all other activities should be moved elsewhere (Pershing Field is particularly useful for those activities in part because of the available parking) and by suggesting that the early morning hour be reserved for the exclusive use of the Masters team, whereas currently the first hour is allocated for lap swimming.

damn, i got legitimately excited there for a second

October 6, 2016

Via email only
Jamie Gordon
Aquatics Director
City of Jersey City

Dear Jamie:

A. Introduction

Stevens Institute shut down its Masters Team last night after 12 years. This team has about 75 members and was the direct successor of the Masters Team that I had started at Pershing Field in 1995. (At the time, we swam every morning at 6:00 am and were coached by Jeff Jotz). It was a great success but fell apart when many people left for Hoboken.

Can you consider welcoming the Masters Team back to Pershing Field.? This could be an excellent impetus for allowing Pershing Field pool to play an important role in the athletic scene of Jersey City. You should also consider starting an age group team for the reasons cited below.

B. Pershing Field Pool Is a Competition Facility

Pershing Field pool is a competition facility- six broad lanes wide, at 25 meters long, with 12 feet depth in the deep end and with diving blocks and a great lap clock.

Unfortunately, instead of a premier swimming facility, this pool is used as a glorified therapeutic pool for arthritic elderly , for infants, and for water exercises for women who cannot swim so that the water is kept above 84 degrees and higher. This is a ridiculous misuse of the facility. It costs a fortune to heat the pool in this manner and causes stress to the system.

The accepted guidelines for lap pools is that the temperature be kept at 78 degrees, and to never go above 82 degrees. This makes the pool functionally unusable for real workouts. There are many other pools in the City that should take on the therapeutic role, e.g. PS 16, 22, etc. Have water exercises scheduled at any of these other pools. Have Mommy and Me at these other pools (even though there appears to be a consensus that babies under one year should never swim in a public pool because their immune system is inadequately developed.) These smaller pools cannot be used for competition and therefore are ideal for these other uses. If run properly, Pershing Field should host a Masters Team, an Age Group Team, and be available for drop in swimmers to work out.


C. Masters Team

Masters Teams provide competitive workouts for swimmers aged 18 and up who are not currently in an NCAA program. Today many triathletes swim with Masters teams as well as former college swimmers. The national organization and the state chapter provide support as well as a series of competitions. http://www.usms.org/ The national organization also provides insurance for all participants.

The team that had been at Stevens consisted of about 75 members who paid $60 a month so that the annual budget was $54,576 a year. I think that a program at Pershing Field could succeed along these lines. For instance, the team could charge $30 for residents and $60 for non residents. The income from the dues could be used to compensate a member of your staff who helps to run practices. Practices scheduled in the morning from 6:00 am to 7:15 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, would not really impact public use at all. Ideally, there would be two evening practices a week as well- say from 7:30 to 8:30 on Tuesday and Thursday. A Saturday morning workout at 9:00 am, for instance, would be immensely popular. In the summer, the entire program could be moved to the Johnston Avenue Pool.

D. Age Group Team

Even more important than a Masters Team, is the proposal to start an age group team at Pershing Field. This would allow Jersey City children to become competitive swimmers. Right now, in the County Bayonne and Union City have good age group programs. There are no age group opportunities for Jersey City residents at all! Moroever, there had been a program at Stevens Institute where many Jersey City kids swam but it was shut down three years ago. Moreover, the fees charges by Stevens and by Bayonne are exhorbitant (averaging at least $1500 a child see, e.g., http://www.newjerseywave.org/njnjwst/__doc__/Redbook2009-10.pdf

E. Pershing Field as a Fitness Option

If the pool were properly run as a competitive facility, anyone would be able to go at any time to have a real workout. Right now, the pool cannot be used for a real work out. By the time one is half way through one?s warm up, one is over heated and exhausted. The option of the pool for workouts would benefit everyone. Re-imaginging it as a swimming facility rather than as a hot tub is to everyone?s benefit.

Kindly contact me at your earliest convenience as I would love to help in this transition. There are several capable people already on staff who could run these programs and who would, I think, enjoy the stipends generated by them.

Very truly yours,


SWD/ds
Daniel W. Sexton

cc Kevin Williamson, Director of Jersey City Department of Recreation via email only
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