“Ladies and gentlemen, as we begin our descent into Cincinnati, make sure your seats and tray tables are in their full upright position, and fasten your seat belts.

I breathed a sigh of relief at the flight attendant’s instruction. Almost there. Our flight from Richmond to Philly had begun in snow, ice, and wind, and this connecting flight had out-flown the encroaching storm. So far.

Then the intercom crackled to life again. The attendant continued “And be sure to look for your nearest exit. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”

 What?!

I squeezed my husband’s hand. Only once in all my years of flying had I been told in flight to plan an emergency exit, and while that situation (a stuck landing gear) had ended well enough (a slammer of a landing but no injuries), I didn’t care to repeat it or endure worse. 

“It’s three seats back,” he said as if reading my mind. “Look for the pools.”

That’s what I do to remain calm when taking off and landing. I count swimming pools. 

I dared to peek out the window, and sure enough, a grey suburban landscape appeared as we emerged from the thick cloud cover. Houses, roads, a river…

WHAM! The ground lurched toward us, the sudden movement rattled my bones, and I tightened my deathgrip on his fingers. 

That flight attendant wasn’t kidding.

The plane leveled, and I again peered through the scratched plexiglass. 

There it was. A large dark grey rectangle behind a lighter, smaller building and parking lot. A covered pool, hibernating for winter, and its pool house! 

A few hard bumps and seven verified pools later, we finally hit the tarmac and rolled to a stop. Passengers burst into applause. My anxiety morphed into its physiological twin, excitement, as I refocused on our mission for this trip: my first academic presentation in 23 years. Two days hence, I would speak at the annual Applied Sport Management Association meeting about preservation efforts and recommendations for historic swimming pools, featuring two pools from this blog: Philipps Swim Club in Cincinnati’s West Price Hill neighborhood, and Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. So much to say within the 20-minute limit!

Despite my initial concern at being scheduled right after a hard act to follow (a mountaineering discussion by the first woman from Macedonia to climb Mount Everest,) my presentation, “Swim History Girl and the Quest to Save Historic Pools,” went well. The full room of attendees seemed interested, and I was happy to see some folks from Philipps Swim Club who I’d met last summer at their pool. They took me to lunch at Biagios, a lovely Italian restaurant in the historic Gaslight District.

Other than the conference, what else did we experience in the Queen City? I couldn’t waste an opportunity to check out a couple more Cincinnati pools!

CENTRAL PARKWAY YMCA

The morning after our arrival, we hiked 2.5 snowy, hilly miles from The Graduate Hotel through various gentrifying neighborhoods to the Central Parkway YMCA, right by Washington Park and the Cincinnati Athletic Club (which admits only men!) What a cool historic area! The Y was built in 1917 and was completely renovated and modernized in 2015-1016. The decor, I’d describe as “downtown funk,” with bright colors, geometric designs, and a big neon YMCA sign. 

The 25-yard, 81F, three-lane saltwater pool, the “Walter Laufer Natatorium,” is in the basement. Due to its popularity, lane reservations are required, yet its peaceful ambiance masks the excitement of its early days. In the 1920s, world-class swimmers trained here, and in 1926, this team won the AAU National Championship, with their Walter Laufer beating Olympic gold medalist Johnny Weissmuller in the last leg of the 400 free relay. Laufer also set a world record in the pentathlon, which consisted of 100 yards of each stroke, 400 yard freestyle, and a diving competition. Because that event has been discontinued, his record remains. 

The front desk staff and lifeguards were very helpful, checking me in quickly, giving me a tour, and chatting about their experiences here and at the now-demolished Sunlite, a beloved and sorely missed Cincy icon. 

UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI CAMPUS RECREATION CENTER

Less than a mile from our hotel was the UC Campus Recreation Center, so of course I had to check it out. Designed by award-winning Thom Payne of Morphosis Architects and completed in 2005, it isn’t “historic” (yet), but attained a unique status in 2013 when Best College Reviews listed it as the #1 Most Amazing Campus Student Recreation Center in the US, a ranking that I support after viewing the facility ourselves. Upon arrival, I was gobsmacked by the glistening 50 meter pool, diving boards, lazy river, hot tub, climbing wall, weights, over 200 cardio machines, clean and spacious locker rooms, a food court, and an indoor track overlooking six basketball courts! Wow is an understatement.

In Cincinnati Skyline Chili lingo, this place is a five-way; it has all the bells and whistles, and the pool is fast! I flew through my workout.

Then, after savoring that chili and a big scoop of Graeter’s February ice cream flavor (chocolate coconut almond chocolate chip), we boarded our flight home, this time facing clear skies, calm conditions, and renewed inspiration to save historic pools. (Who here will join me in supporting a Historic Pools of America group based on the hugely successful Historic Pools of Britain??)

I guess I’m the swim history version of the Save the Clock Tower lady from Back to the Future.

LOCATIONS AND CONTACT INFORMATION:

University of Cincinnati Campus Recreation Center
2820 Bearcat Way, Cincinnati, OH 45221
(513) 556-0604
https://www.uc.edu/campus-life/campus-rec.html

Central Parkway YMCA
1105 Elm St, Cincinnati, OH 45202
(513) 362-9622
https://myy.org/location/central-parkway-ymca/

REFERENCES:

https://magazine.uc.edu/issues/0714/rec_center.html
https://kzf.com/portfolio/campus-recreation-center-and-student-housing-complex/
https://www.arch2o.com/university-cincinnati-campus-recreation-center-morphosis-architects/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Glancy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Laufer