There’s a new option for swimming in the wintertime in Fayetteville.
Local swim coaches Anita Parisi and Paige Grunnagle have installed a tent and heaters around the heated pool at Mount Sequoyah Center, and are offering several options for adults and youth to access the water in the cold winter months.
Parisi Swimming has partnered with Mount Sequoyah Center to make the pool available at select times over the next few months when it would normally be closed for organized lap swimming with swim instructors on deck, lap swimming basics classes, and some youth swimming classes, swim team practices, and youth lap swim classes.
Funding for the tent and heating equipment needed was secured by Parisi Swimming, said Parisi. The tent in place this year is a rental for what she considers a pilot program, though if things go well, she said she hopes to purchase a tent to use every year.
“As part of our fall fundraising, we secured heaters to blow the air inside the tent,” Parisi said. “We have three heaters. It’s very comfortable in there, the water is heated, the air is heated, and we have lighting. Everyone who has walked in there has been amazed at how comfortable it is. It’s a small natatorium. “
For now, no open swim hours have been scheduled due to logistical issues with lifeguards and the heating equipment, but options for open swim could be added soon.
“People have asked about open swim, and right now, we aren’t offering that in January,” she said. “We are looking at it for February. Folks can keep an eye on the website at Mount Sequoyah for updates on that.”
Parisi said that the pilot program is off to a great start with several swimmers already signing up for the winter classes, but she does have availability for most of her offerings.
Classes range from $60-$80 per month. For more information about the winter swim program, including a schedule of available class times, visit mountsequoyah.org.
