It's Not About The Pool

It comes down to a simple question: Are you someone who looks at the world as a series of possibilities that need to be explored and experienced through positive energy, or are you someone who instead decides that it's less risky to stay put, that the status quo is sufficient, and that change brings with it a discomfort that is better off avoided?

I attended a town council meeting at Village Hall last night here in Ridgewood, primarily to support the Ridgewood Pool Project, a multi-year effort to revitalize the central community focal point in the summer months that includes Graydon Pool. My fellow supporters (identified with stickers worn to show their support) more than filled the room, creating a SRO situation that generated a strong sense of common energy and positive momentum.

A little history would help here:

To call Graydon a "pool" isn't very accurate; it's a man-made pond that was dredged in 1936 as public works project, and has been steadily maintained and upgraded several times since. It has been a wonderful cornerstone of the community for decades, a place where my kids learned how to swim, swam on the summer swim team that one of them even helped to coach, and even worked as a lifeguard. However, the problems with Graydon these days are undeniable, and were never challenged during the public debate on the issue:

- Membership is declining. Graydon attendance is down over 50% in recent years from its historical averages, with entire age brackets (from late elementary through high school) off even more dramatically.
- Ridgewood residents are spending $3M every year to attend pools in neighboring towns. This includes hundreds of my friends in the masters swimming and multi-sport communities who love the ability to spend a couple of months every year swimming outdoors.
- The water conditions at Graydon are suspect at best, and downright dangerous at worst. Last summer's "unfortunate incident" puts this point beyond further discussion.

My main point here -- that it's not about the pool at all -- has to do with the palpable difference that I saw between those who work hard and generate tons of momentum in a positive direction, and those who are consumed with life's difficulties, who can't see through a problem to discover its potential as a challenge, and ultimately find themselves asking "why?" instead of "why not?" when it comes to positive change.

Seeing that element in my community, up close -- I saw the whites of their eyes last night -- reminded me that the multi-sport world of masters athletes is really a special group, filled with hundreds of thousands of like-minded people with "can-do" attitudes who are asking more of themselves than the average person cares to. We surround ourselves with each other, building upon our collective energy while we influence our families and friends to join us, as we continue to push against the inertia that tends to build in a world filled with people who settle for less.

So the next time I'm asked how I've been able to sustain an active lifestyle for four decades, including the last 25+ years in the sport of triathlon, I've got my simple answer at the ready: It's about the people I've met along the way that keep it fun, energetic, and special.

Thanks for helping me enjoy the ride!