9A New Hypo

Person 1 & 2: Elderly Couple:

Who: This couple lives in the area, but has access to a YMCA that is more geared towards their needs for senior living (65+) where they take their grandchildren some times to play. 

What: The need for a new facility isn’t particularly present for this couple. When prompted how having an elite team in the area the most they could say was, “It would seem to be a great opportunity for my grandchildren, but if it’s an elite program and since they’ve never swam before.. I don’t think that would help our family out as much.”

Why: As mentioned above, they stated that the only “why they would use it” would be more geared as another outside activity. An alternative could be the inclusivity of elderly people in a master’s program, but would still be limited to those who have the ability to perform unsupervised. 

Person 3 & 4: Son in band and track, and mother of son.

Who: The son and mother are familiar with the need for athletics and elite teams to limit the athlete from being held back. When prompted about the need for a pool, the question was met with the need for a track team to have a similar option.

What: As prompted, based on their focus for the equivalent for a track team as we are trying to offer for a swim team we are met with who is going to fund this. The funding became an issue of concern as we were dependent on grants and private funding. The mom highlighted the fact that there are multiple pools that could be rented, but not enough space for band and track teams to have their own private space. 

Why: The conversation, although was attempted to stay focused on how the pool could be used in various ways, was met with minor frustration if the city were to fund one program, but not another. The mother and son brought up a good point that a track field being built over a pool being built could provide more use to the public; as the area inside the track field and the track itself could be used at the same time. Whereas the pool can only be used by one organization at a time.

Person 5: Student at Davidson College

Who: This person is a 21 year old college student. This student has a pool at their school already offered to the student body for wellness and recreational use.

What: When asked his opinion about having another pool facility being offered near the campus, but geared towards age group and senior level athletes, he seemed nonchalant. He pointed out that there were times that children were having club practice at Davidson’s facility and he’d like it to be less crowded.

Why: Although he states he does not use the facility a lot, he believes it could open up new employment opportunities as well as eliminate the influx of children at the college using the recreational facility. His needs are different because he has outgrown the age group that is being recruited, but sees a point of it by eliminating that age group from his college’s pool.

Summary:

All in all, what seems to be the biggest concern is the use of the facility. The elderly couple, the son and mom, and lastly the college student all seemed to return back to the use of the facility being more so open than elite. By only making the new facility usage elite, instead of more welcoming and open, the concern for the pool is well outside of these people’s boundaries. We could open the facility to a wider age range and programs by renting out to different groups possibly? Such as a master’s program or a age group focused on 5-10 years old. That would draw these people into the boundary lines we’ve set for ourselves.