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Soldiers can improve run times by swimming

Photo By Staff Sgt. Engels Tejeda | Meredith Waters (right) an MWR aquatics coordinator at LSA Anaconda, gives Sgt. 1st...... read more read more

12.22.2005

Courtesy Story

207th Public Affairs Detachment

If you want to improve your PT score and get a toned body with minimum impact on your extremities, you need to pay a visit to the Turner Indoor Swimming Pool at Logistical Support Area Anaconda and attend one of several programs the staff has designed to help meet your goals, said Meredith Waters, the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Aquatics Coordinator on post.

When it comes to fitness, "anything you can do on land, you can do in water and you can do it ten times as hard because there is no impact," Waters said. "We have several programs that range from teaching private lessons to teach a beginner to get his head wet to training Soldiers for the water section of a triathlon."

The swimming pool staff has designed a variety of programs with Soldiers" needs in mind, Waters said. If you are a beginner, Waters and her team can set up a time at your convenience for private lessons. During the lessons they teach the basics from jumping into the pool to learning the basic strokes.

If you are more advanced, Erin Rogers, an MWR coordinator for Kellogg, Brown and Root, teaches swim clinics geared to fit your needs. These consist of 30-minute to 45-minute workouts that concentrate on distance. A swimmer attending the swimming clinics can expect to do between 800 and 2,000 meters or 16 to 40 laps per swimming session.

The clinics are currently offered Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 5:45 a.m. to 7 a.m. and from 7:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. However, if your schedule does not match these hours, the workouts are available on reserve at the swimming pool staff's office.

The swim clinic was initially an intramural class, but due to scheduling conflicts, many Soldiers could not attend regularly, so the staff adapted the program.

For those who have already developed gills of steel, the swimming staff can design a more rigorous program. The pool also offers monthly competitions during which Soldiers swim for one to two miles.

The swimming pool always has a lane or two open solely for lap swimming.

Perhaps the most attractive program, Waters said, is a new swim and Pilates class during which servicemembers and civilians spend 30 minutes on the pool's deck and 30 minutes doing aqua training.

"The Pilates portion concentrates on balance and strength, and it's great for your lower back and your abs," Waters said. "The aqua training section is great for knees and increases cardiovascular endurance."

Aside from being great for muscle toning, the program helps you get that extra minute knocked off your PT run, she said. The class is open to both males and females.

"This is great cardio. Great runners come here and they may struggle swimming, but not the other way around," Waters said. "And, it's a great addition to a weight-management program."

Waters said that her team has tried to establish a good wellness program based on their combined years of experience working with swimmers. Waters, for example, has been swimming since she was five years old and coached ROTC cadets throughout college while she worked on a bachelor's degree in environmental science at Mercer University in Macon, Ga.

Though the pool does not have goggles, Waters said Soldiers can try getting them at the Post Exchange or order them online. The pool is open from 4 a.m. to 1 a.m., seven days a week. The exact times of each class may vary, and thus prospective swimmers are encouraged to check the swimming pool's schedule at any MWR facility or at the swimming pool. Soldiers can also e-mail Waters at Meredith.Waters@halliburton.com.

Even if swimming is not your sport of choice, Waters said, you ought to stop by the pool sometime this winter.

"This place is a good stress reliever, I mean, we are in a war zone and when you have the luxury of a swimming pool, you got to take advantage of it," Waters said.