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SRC hosts the first annual Christmas dive-in

The SRC's aquatic staff had a busy afternoon with kids enjoying the pool, water slide and various Christmas activities.
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Simon Morris (left) and his older brother James pose with Santa at the Stettler Recreation Centre's swimming pool on Tuesday

The Stettler Recreation Centre (SRC)'s aquatic staff had a busy afternoon Tuesday, Dec. 22 with kids enjoying the pool, water slide and various Christmas activities that were being hosted as part of the first annual Christmas dive-in event.

While it was the first of its kind, assistant aquatic manager Heather Waye said she had hosted similar events in various municipalities before.

"Being part of teams that have been hosting events for every major holiday, and for any theme you can think of, whether its Christmas or anything Disney related, this was a great success and are always a big hit with the kids," said Waye.

The dive-in event allowed families to enjoy a regular two-hour open swim, with a little bit of Christmas magic thrown in for the kids.

There were games that included finding lost mittens, building a snow man and scaling the SRC's new climbing wall.

"Of course, each game included a prize for all who participated," said Haye. "When the children grew tired of swimming, families were able to stop by the pool viewing area for some snacks while watching Elf on the big screen."

This year the SRC lifeguards had put in that little bit of extra effort.

"We were able to invite Santa Claus, despite him being at the height of his busy season as a surprise guest for the kids; making the event extra special," said Haye.

The guard team in charge of organizing the event planned for approximately 60 people to attend the event.

"We were looking forward to inviting 60 people and we were excited to see that we estimated correctly, because over the course of the two-hour event 52 people attended, mostly families with young children," added Haye. "I was very happy with how the event ran."

According to Haye, the lifeguards did an excellent job.

"Often times, lifeguards can, in a way, blend in to the rest of the facility in the public's eyes, but today I was glad to see our patrons and staff excitedly interacting together in the holiday spirit," said Haye.

Haye hopes to improve upon what she has achieved with her team this year.

"We might try to include electronics to accommodate the viewing of a movie, which can be a challenge in a wet and bright environment with no simple and safe solutions," said Haye. "In the future we are hoping to improve upon the placement of the movie so that patrons may enjoy it from the water without limiting their access to any of the pools or features such as the slide."