Far away from the depths of any ocean, the city of Ottawa relies on public swimming pools to provide its citizens with recreational water activities.
Unfortunately for swimmers,the Forest Park Swimming Pool is closed throughout the winter and early spring, so where do swimmers find their fix?
Swim for Life, located at 913 Wilson St., boasts an indoor pool complimented by an assortment of floating devices, weights and toys. Although not as widely known as Ottawa's outdoor pool, Swim For Life has gained some momentum after opening its doors last May.
Owners Hal and Janie Ebecks operate Swim For Life with their family, but Mrs. Ebecks notes if not for her husband the pool would probably have been obsolete.
"I told my husband I was thinking about remodeling our bathroom; later that day I got a call from him saying he bought this pool. Somehow this correlated with a new bathtub," Janie Ebecks joked.
Mrs. Ebecks supervises the pool most of the time but often relies on her family for extra help, including her niece Megan Bathory who teaches aerobics and keeps track of memberships.
"It's great," Bathory said. "We get a lot of people but it wouldn't hurt to have more."
One way of attracting more traffic is through activities which are held at the indoor pool, including Ottawa Swim Club, aerobics and other events.
Alongside these group events, individual customers are also seeking to benefit by taking the indoor plunge during the area's colder months.
Sharon Howard, 65, has long hoped for an indoor pool in Ottawa and considers swimming to be the best form of exercise. She organized her own exercise regime and has already swam three miles(collectively) at Swim For Life.
"I wanted to start doing something for myself so I made healthy living my personal goal." Howard said.
Even some Ottawa University students have taken note of Swim For Life's presence. Junior Taylor Leftwich is one of them.
"Swim For Life is legit. I swim there whenever I get a chance," Leftwich said, noting the absence of an indoor pool at the college.
Hopefully for Swim For Life, this trend of both the young and old alike taking an active interest in aquatic fitness continues. Even with all it has to offer students and local residents, the center's future mostly relies on word-of-mouth to spread awareness of its existence.
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