LESSON 3: POOL SET UP
This may seem a little redunant.. but once again.. let’s hammer this in. SAFTEY is important to us at GlideFIT.
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We want you to be safe, and we want everyone on the boards to be safe.
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Watch this video and pay attention to the numbers.. they will be on the test.
There are a number of ways to set up your GlideFit class. Every pool seems to have a unique setup. Some can use lane lines, some can’t. Some pools are rectangular, square, oval, or amoeba-like, therefore every setup can be distinctly different.
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Safety is of the utmost importance- not only for the participants- but for other facility patrons as well that might be utilizing the pool area at the same time. Accordingly, there are things to avoid when setting up boards to maintain a maximum level of safety and limiting liability potential. NEVER rig boards to something outside of the pool onto the pool deck, blocking walkways with ropes is a dangerous tripping hazard.
Whenever possible rigging equipment should remain in the pool.
Never use the Fits in less than 4ft of water.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s see the breakdown of the 2 ways to set up boards in an efficient floating pattern.
SET UP: NOSE TO TAIL
In a standard pool with lane lines, the preferred setup is to attach the Fits within a lane, using the closing bungees to attach the corner D rings to the lane line. The Fits should be nose to tail, spaced 2- 4 feet apart and 6ft from the pool’s edge as seen below.
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This is what nose to tail looks like. As you can see the fronts and backs are all together. Ensuring the distance between each FIT is needed for the safety of your class.
SET UP: SIDE BY SIDE
The Fits can also be arranged perpendicular to the pool, side by side. This will usually require the removal of a lane line and then attaching the closing bungees from the D rings to the remaining wider spaced lane lines.
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You can use the D rings on the sides or the front and back. Remembering that more points of contact are more stable. Most people use 4 points of contact.
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FITS should still be spaced 2-4 feet apart and 6ft from the pool’s edge as seen below.
Notice that the bungee clips right to the lane line.
More bungees makes the FIT more stable. A bungee at each corner is better for beginners. To increase the instability, use only two as shown below.
OH NO! NO LANE LINES!
Oh no! There are no lane lines to attach the FIT to… don’t fret.
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This is your time to
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a) to be creative
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b) be a problem solver
Ropes (yes just simple ropes from home hardware) work great as fake lane lines and provide stability for your FITS.
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If lane lines aren’t available, you’ll need to arrange your own rigging, finding some way to secure the lines. It’s critical to keep safety first, and you need to consider if other people will be walking around the pool during the class. Rigging lines can be a tripping hazard so plan accordingly.
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The easiest way to rig without lane lines is using two lines through the D rings and anchoring to single points at each end of the pool, like so-
There are numerous ways to arrange Fits, but always make safety your first priority.
You can take the time to be creative to adapt the rigging that will work best for your pool. Sometimes this means using just the front and back D rings, remembering that more points of contact means more stability.
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You can also be creative with the bungees to make them fit your exact lane line. Here you can see that we have used two to wrap around the lane line. Slack is more important than the points of contact. If everything is too tight it will wear your product down quicker and makes set up take longer. It also makes for a less rewarding class for your students.
THE WINDOW METHOD
The Fits can also be set up in multiple lanes to accommodate larger classes.
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Use the window method to make sure there’s space on every side of a fit. Much like children at a school recital trying to be seen, that’s how your fits should be set up. This can work in both Nose to Tail as well as Side by Side. Making it easier for your participants to see you, as well as giving them a safe place to fall (in any direction.)
Once again, get creative.. have fun.
