Pooling the last of summer resources

Amy R. Spurgeon

NEWPORT-MESA -- As Mother Nature, school officials and football fans

begin the countdown to fall, local children can still be found squeezing

every inch out of summer at local public pools.

“My girls like it here,” said 30-year-old Bertha Avalos of Costa Mesa,

who daily walks across the street from her home on Anaheim Avenue -- with

her four daughters in tow -- to use the City’s Downtown Community Center

pool.

“Next year, we’ll come even more.”

On Thursday, about 60 children and their parents splashed, raced and

jumped around in the 25-yard pool, taking advantage of “open swim” summer

hours on weekdays from 1 to 2:45 p.m.

The “open swim” hours end next Friday, but families can take a break

from continued summer heat from noon to 2:45 p.m. on Saturdays through

September. Admission is free.

The only one not smiling Thursday was 11-year old John Rose of Costa

Mesa. He was temporarily benched for disobeying the lifeguard.

“I was floating on my stomach and he thought I was playing dead,” said

a bummed-out John, his body dripping wet and golden blond hair plastered

to his forehead. “He told me twice not to do it. I get to go back in five

minutes.”

Fake drowning and jumping in the shallow end are the most common

reasons why about five to six kids per day are benched, said Costa Mesa

lifeguard Phil Kleinfeldt, 17, of Costa Mesa.

“Lifeguard, can I go in now?” John asked, squinting into the sun.

“Two more minutes,” Kleinfeldt replied, refusing to take his eyes off

the water.

Next summer, Costa Mesa residents can splash around in new digs when

the city completes construction on its new pool and community facility

next to the original one on Anaheim Avenue.

Meanwhile, a few miles east in Newport Beach, best friends,

schoolmates and neighbors Jessica Peschelt and Michelle Cimini, both 10,

wrapped up another eventful day at Newport Harbor High School’s

Olympic-size pool.

The pools at Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar high schools serve as

Newport Beach’s public pools year-round. Open swim hours for the summer

will end next week, but adult lap swimming will continue at Corona del

Mar from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. weekdays on a year-round basis.

Open swim fees in Newport Beach are $1 per person; lap swimmers pay

$2.

Peschelt and Cimini made it a ritual over the summer to visit the

nearby pool on a daily basis.

“We’re really active when we come here. We do front flips, back flips,

try to touch the bottom of the pool, hand stands and races,” said

Michelle. “It’s not about getting a tan. It’s about having fun.”

Jessica nodded in agreement.”Yeah, I hate it because sometimes I go to

the beach with my 14-year-old sister and her friends and she never wants

to go in the water,” Jessica said. “She just wants to work on her tan.”

But the most enjoyable part for both girls has been watching the high

school football players jump off the diving board to cool off before

summer practices.

“It’s funny to watch them,” Michelle said, both girls giggling. “They

just think they are so cool.”