Staff writer
The USD 408 sports and aquatics center has now been finished for a few months, and Marion Middle School is doing all it can to take advantage.
Seventh and eighth grade students are on a revolving schedule that allows them to have one physical education class every other Friday in the pool.
The students have the hour to swim, play games, and experience a different form of exercise than normal PE activities.
“I know the middle school students truly enjoy this opportunity to use the community pool for physical education class,” MMS principal Tod Gordon said.
The current MMS schedule has students rotating between music and gym classes every other day. When a gym class falls on a Friday, those students pack in a bus and head up the street to the pool.
MMS physical education teacher Shaun Craft said when all is said and done, the students are usually in the pool for approximately 20-25 minutes each class period.
Craft said the students are getting used to the schedule.
“The kids have been pretty good as far as hurrying up (to get ready) because they all look forward to going there,” he said.
Although it would be easy to let the kids jump in the pool and do what they want for 20 minutes, Craft said with the help of aquatics center managers Greta Smith and Anne Leppke, the students participate in organized activities.
“They have been a big help,” Craft said of Leppke and Smith who also have helped with activity ideas.
The students break into two groups and play water baseball, participate in water aerobics, as well as other swimming exercises.
“It’s a nice alternative,” Craft said as opposed to always being in the gymnasium.
The fourth-year teacher said he was on-board with the idea when it was first presented to him.
“I was all for it,” Craft said. “It’s a good use of the pool.”
While the MMS students use the pool more consistently than others, they aren’t the only ones utilizing the facility.
Tabor College women’s basketball coach Shawn Winter brought his team over every Friday for six weeks in the fall for pre-season conditioning.
Winter said he looked to incorporate aquatic conditioning into his program this past year, but it wasn’t feasible to drive to Newton.
When he knew Marion’s facility would be open, Winter jumped at the chance.
He said the water workout helped because it was something different, and since it is a low-impact workout it helped players who were nursing injuries.
The district usually gives group discounts on admission fees because they are not there a full day.
“I just thought that would be a great way for us to (condition),” Winter said. “It was a huge success.”
The coach said as long as the district was open to them coming, they would more than likely continue the training each year.
Marion-Florence USD 408 superintendent Lee Leiker said he is glad to see it being utilized by more than just students.
Leiker said groups such as the Tabor cross country teams, Marion Boy Scouts, MHS cross country teams, Marion Elementary School classes, and special educations students have used the pool at some point in time.
He also said residents have rented the pool for birthday parties, and lap swimming and aerobics classes are popular as everyday activities.
“We are utilizing it really well,” Leiker said.
For now, it’s the MMS classes that are taking advantage the most, and will continue to do so at least until the end of the semester.
“(Marion) built it, so we might as well use it,” he said.