Did your school bus you to the Spa? Did you swim at the spa? Do you know the history of the Spa? It's all about Anchorage's first civilian swimming pool.
Mike: I wrote a short story about the Spa for my '60 classmate Jana Nelson's (fka: Janet Griffith) blog, "GrowingupAnchorage," a decade ago. Comically, I nearly drowned during my high school class swimming lesson at the Spa in 1957, and never did learn to swim even though I joined the Navy in '61. But lots of great memories of splashing around in the warm water of the pool. She even found the same photo of the Spa for my article as you're using for this article. Thanks for the memory! g
At Navy boot camp in San Diego we were required to learn to float on our backs, and I was able to do that. But trying to swim meant learning how to turn my head to breathe and that seemed too complicated for me. When I'd accompany my friends to Goose Lake or Lake Spenard or any of the other little lakes around the area, I'd be the one to watch for moose or bears while they were splashing in the water. g
When the spa opened I started to save the $200. It took 3 years. When I had enough saved in 1956 I decided that it was too late because it was time for college. I loved to swim learning to swim in the 40’s at a grade school in Lawrence Kansas. I did get to swim at the Spa when I tried to train without a coach to be on the swim team at Anchorage High. It was a failed effort.
Mike: I wrote a short story about the Spa for my '60 classmate Jana Nelson's (fka: Janet Griffith) blog, "GrowingupAnchorage," a decade ago. Comically, I nearly drowned during my high school class swimming lesson at the Spa in 1957, and never did learn to swim even though I joined the Navy in '61. But lots of great memories of splashing around in the warm water of the pool. She even found the same photo of the Spa for my article as you're using for this article. Thanks for the memory! g
Gene - You nearly drowned in the Spa and didn't learn to swim, even when you were in the Navy? Great story. Thank you for sharing.
At Navy boot camp in San Diego we were required to learn to float on our backs, and I was able to do that. But trying to swim meant learning how to turn my head to breathe and that seemed too complicated for me. When I'd accompany my friends to Goose Lake or Lake Spenard or any of the other little lakes around the area, I'd be the one to watch for moose or bears while they were splashing in the water. g
When the spa opened I started to save the $200. It took 3 years. When I had enough saved in 1956 I decided that it was too late because it was time for college. I loved to swim learning to swim in the 40’s at a grade school in Lawrence Kansas. I did get to swim at the Spa when I tried to train without a coach to be on the swim team at Anchorage High. It was a failed effort.
Anne - Thank you for sharing -