Finding a pool to swim in
A short musing on the loss of swimming pools in Calgary's inner city.
Swimming is the best ever.
Not only does it have many health benefits, including protection against stroke and heart disease. Propelling myself through the clear blue water is as relaxing as it is intense. The pool is my happy place.
Something as simple as the smell of chlorine triggers blissful memories of my almost weightless body breaking through the mirror-like surface of water at every stroke.
One, two, three, breathe. One, two, three, breathe. The rushing sound of the water is all I hear. But there’s always stillness below the surface.
In 2019, I used to do this five times a week.
It was a joyous way to break up my day; the Eau Claire Y just a five minutes bike ride from my doorstep — but I haven’t swam regularly since.
My swimming pool shut down permanently in 2021, when the cost of maintaining an aging facility was too high for the Y’s dwindling membership at that location.
I dream of another pool opening up within walking distance. But as the market value of land in Calgary’s city centre rises, swimming pools are no longer the best and higher use, as evidenced by proposals to shut down facilities in Inglewood and the Beltline
Currently, the city manages 13 aquatic centres. Only four of them are in the city centre. As for the Y, all of the facilities they manage are located in the suburbs.
But not all inner city pools are going the way of the dodo. I still have a swimming pool within walking distance — many, in fact.
They’re just not accessible to the public.
New buildings such as Arris in East Village, Park Central in the Beltline, and the Concord in Eau Claire, boast a swimming pool amongst an array of exclusive amenities.
So close, yet so far. I mourn the closure of my pool at the Eau Claire Y almost daily. I would prefer not to drive to swim.
The loss of public swimming pools isn’t unique to Calgary, however. In the U.S, this situation has been characterized as a public health crisis.
As operational and maintenance costs mount, cities across Canada are shutting down public pools, too. Last year, the City of Sudbury, in Ontario, conducted a review to identify which municipal facilities should close. The City of Winnipeg is contemplating doing the same.
I wonder if I’ll ever swim regularly again, or if that’s just a luxury some of us can no longer afford.
Reluctantly yours,
Ximena.
p.s. i’m still working on a post that’s way more substantial than a random reflection, which is basically why i haven’t been able to finish it. You see, the stories i post here are not the leftovers that other publications didn’t take. I write this stuff for you, my dear subscribers and supporters — but the stories i get paid to write take precedence. Maybe if i tease my next post i’ll finish it sooner, so here you go! My next Substack is about beauty, and whether it matters to Calgarians.
Stuff i’ve written since last time
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