Deck Talk – April 2019

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Fellow Mohicans –

Welcome back to another summer season. We are off to a great start, and I wanted to call out a couple of the many new things you will see. This winter has been a busy one for the pool. You will see we have completed the viewing area and Bocce ball court and installed a new playground. You will also see the parking lot has been resurfaced and striped.

Due to its height the viewing area is restricted to adults and supervised children only, and we ask you to make sure your children understand the policy. After many years of use we also replaced the playground with a modern commercial playground with all the current safety features. While the playground is as safe as can be designed, it is also important to note this is also provided for use under supervision by parents and guardians. And in particular we ask everyone to keep children climbing inside the structure. The playground is set back from the old playground to give it more space, and also to create a little more seating space close to the main deck.

And while this is all visible, we have also had a number of changes which are not apparent. After a couple years of use we found some mistakes made in the pool heating system and we have had on-going challenges getting the elevator in working order. The heating system has been updated and we are in what we hope to be the final round of elevator repair. We appreciate your patience while this is still on-going.

All of this has been due to an incredible effort of our volunteer board. I want to thank them all for their efforts, and I hope you will all find the time to thank the board for their work. This year’s board includes:

Josette Skilling, Treasurer

Lisa Owen, VP, Pool

Elizabeth Redisch, VP Buildings

Michael Kessler, VP, Grounds

Shane Moore, VP, Activities

Elena Naum, Secretary

Directors: Vin DeSomma, Katie Blot, Catharina Ford, Eluned Schweitzer, Mark Eisel, Tracey Robison, Dani Johnson (Membership).

You will also see a number of new policies called out in this month’s Deck Talk – including moving ahead with changes to the snack bar and instituting cashless payment processes more widely. We are also adding a few more signs around the pool to call out policies and we hope you will all take notice.

Most importantly we welcome you all back.  It is always exciting to get back in the pool and see old friends.

Go-Mo

Rick Hall

Mohican President

 

Pool Hours:

The pool opened at noon on Saturday, April 27th. For the Pre-Season (Saturday, April 27 through Friday, May 17) the hours will be:

  • Weekdays Early Bird: 6:30 am – 8:30 am
  • Monday – Friday 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
  • Saturday and Sunday 12:00 noon – 6:00 pm

Please see https://mohicanpool.org/hours/for more details.

 

Swim & Dive Teams:

Team registration is now open for all those with a full membership or full summer rental membership.

This season we are excited to welcome Kevin Wagman as our new head coach for the swim team. Kevin grew up swimming in this area, including swimming for the Walt Whitman team. He has a tremendous amount of coaching experience, including a current position with All Star Aquatics. Kevin has already been highly engaged in planning the season and is enthusiastic about meeting the kids and kicking off!

For those families new to Mohican, our Swim & Dive Team is a great way for kids ages 4-18 to make friends at the pool, have fun, and build swimming and diving skills. The summer season runs from the week before Memorial Day through the last week in July. Practices are held every afternoon until MCPS ends, with morning and afternoon practice sessions after that, to accommodate those with busy summer schedules. Swim meets are held on Wednesday evenings (B Meets open to all), competitive rostered meets on Saturday mornings (A Meets), and our annual Mini Muffin meet on July 4 for all pre-team swimmers. Diving practices are also held in the morning and afternoon, in order to accommodate camp schedules – kids can pick to do one or the other. Dive meets are typically held on Sunday afternoons Our team calendar also features social events for all ages and the whole family, including Friday pep rallies and team dinners, team breakfasts, and age-specific group outings.

For more specific details about the team calendar, practice times, and meet schedules, please visit our website at https://mohican.swimtopia.comand follow the team on Twitter @GOMOHICAN.

 

Masters Swimming:

Fellow Mohicans – we are once again starting a masters swimming group. All adults (18 and over) are welcome. We swim the hour before the pool opens every Sunday throughout the season, beginning May 5th. The group will be led by one of the regulars who will structure a workout. All abilities are welcome and we finish with bagels and coffee. The workouts last one hour. All you need to bring is your suit and a good attitude. We hope to see you there.

 

Water Polo:

Mohican Pool has water polo? Yes we do! Play, watch or just come out and cheer our members as they struggle to stay afloat in this fast-paced, physically challenging game.   Mohican has two regulation water polo nets, so game on! Every Sunday night, beginning June 16th, from 8-9pm you will hear music, good cheer, and some over-forty moans. We have music, good energy, and absolutely all ages are welcome. Practice your egg-beater!! (Nothing to do with baking)

 

Annual Duathlon:

Swimmers and runners…start your training! Save the date for the Annual Mohican Duathlon!!  The tenth running of the Mohican Duathlon will be held Sunday, September 8, 2019 at the Mohican Pool starting at 8am with registration and warm-ups at 7am. The event will include an 800 meter swim (or 32 lengths of the 25 meter Mohican Pool), a 5K run through the Brookmont neighborhood ending on MacArthur Blvd, followed by a bagel brekkie. Swim. Run. Eat. Sweet!

We will provide water bottles for all entrants, and we will have multiple prize categories, including: Individual, Tag Team, Age Group, Adult/Child, Member/Non-Member. We will keep you apprised of all the details on the Mohican website, mohicanpool.org. Until then, see you in the lanes!

 

Mermaids:

For more than 30 years, Mohican has offered a daily unisex water aerobics class open to all ages (called “Mermaids”). The workout performs exercises appropriate to every level of ability and gives benefits from toning to buildup. For 2019, the Mermaids will meet in the first hour that the pool is open (not during early bird swimming hours) each day, starting on Sunday, April 28. The only exceptions known at this time are for Saturdays that the pool will not open until noon due to swim team events. For further information, contact Susan Dunham at dunham_susan@hotmail.com

 

Lap Lanes:

Mohican makes at least one lap lane available at all times, including Swim Team practice times. Two lap lanes are typically installed at other times. The number of lap lanes may change due to pool events or at the discretion of pool management.

Only persons swimming laps will be allowed in the designated lap lanes. If two swimmers are using the lane, they may swim side by side. If three or more swimmers are using a lap lane, they must swim in a loop pattern. Swimmers are encouraged to join lanes with other swimmers who swim at a similar speed, if at all possible. Lap swimmers have priority of use of the lap lanes over lessons.

 

Calendar:

This year’s social events are on the calendar!

  • Our opening party is scheduled for May 18th at 4:00 pm. Please bring either a side or dessert to share with everyone and the pool will supply burgers, hot dogs, water, lemonade and adult beverages (until they run out).
  • We have an adult only party scheduled for June 22nd. Save the date!
  • Crabfest will be on July 4th.
  • The closing party is scheduled for September 28th.

 

Movie Night:

If there is interest in having a movie night on Tuesdays, we need someone who is willing to run it.  Please contact Shane Moore shanemoore5210@gmail.com

 

Raft Night:

Raft nights are scheduled for June 13th, June 27th, July 11th, July 25th, August 8th and August 22nd. If you know a food truck that may want to come to raft night, please let us know. We would love to support our local small businesses!

 

Rules Reminders:

  • The pool is closed in the mornings while swim team practices. The guards need to be able to clean the pool deck, so please wait for your children only under the pavilion by the snack bar.
  • No bouncing on the diving board unless you are at diving practice.  The guards will remove anyone who bounces on the board.  It’s a dangerous practice and is especially so when someone is in the water below.
  • Clean out the refrigerator after your party.  Please don’t leave any alcohol in the fridge past your party.
  • No eating on the pool deck.  Please use only the designated areas for food.

 

Guest Passes:

We have many guests every day at the pool. Please log in to your account and purchase guest passes BEFORE you come to the pool in order to avoid the lines at the front desk.  They never expire and will remain in your account.

 

New Members:

Our check-in system is electronic, so you will not receive passes or cards in the mail. Please make sure all of your family members are listed on your account or the guards at the front desk will ask that you use a guest pass to bring them in. Guest passes can be purchased through your Mohicanpool.orgaccount.

 

Parties:

Parties are booked online. If you plan to have more than 10 guests at a time, it’s a party and must get approval before you have it. Pool management needs to schedule guards and can’t get the proper coverage when members show up with dozens of unexpected guests.

  • If you need to cancel your party, please do so with 24 hours’ notice.
  • If you want to see if there is availability for your event, visit the calendar – https://mohicanpool.org/calendar/

 

Additional Information

Elevator Status:

The elevator has been non-operational since the end of last season. We have finally found a vendor who can fix it and they are in the process of assessing what parts need to be replaced. Hopefully it will be operational soon!

 

Snack Bar:

The snack bar will be offering sandwiches and salads from a local vendor sometime in May. We will assess how popular the items are and either discontinue them or up the order as demand increases. You’ll notice we have a brand-new refrigerator which can hold more. As well, you will have the option to put your purchases on your account or pay cash. If the purchases are on account, they will go into your Member Splash and you’ll be expected to settle them on a monthly basis.

 

Emergency Information Updates

Please update the emergency contact information in your membership account at https://mohicanpool.org/membership/manage-account/

 

 

See you on deck!