Being cool: a wedding reception, a pool party

As summer days are approaching, the organisation of wedding receptions, birthday parties, theme parties are more often transformed from the indoor to amazing outdoor events, taking place under the open sky and stars. Pools are becoming cool places as well as their pleasant setting. Good fun is guaranteed. Water and things around it are a great source of positive vibes, providing good harmony and a relaxing atmosphere.

This is why I have replaced my pool equipment of my kids with a bowtie, a white shirt and a nice princess-like little dress.

However, if you want to organise an event or you’re planning a family picnic at the pool (being it in your backyard or in a restaurant or a salash (countryside estate in northern Serbia) you need to enjoy it, of course, but also you need to be aware of the fact that fun can easily be ruined, you

have to be careful, especially when it comes to children. Inform yourselves about the details of the pool parties.

Check if the pool has:

A fence: A rather crucial thing! Have you ever seen that a pool where wedding receptions, or parties are organised was fenced, even if the pool was a «part of decoration»? To be honest, I haven’t noticed a proper fence. With a few nice examples. Okay, now imagine children running around the pool, having fun while the loud music is being played in the background. With such a

crowd and noise, it is unlikely that one could notice something bad going on, one can get sick and slip into the pool. Instead of being an event to remember, the party can easily turn into a tragedy. Even a small collapsible swimming pool can be enough to bring to a fatal outcome.

There is an example of a children’s birthday party. While the parents were barbequing only a couple of meters away from an inflatable pool, a child drowned in no more than 30 cm of water… If there is no fence around the pool, or even if it exists, don’t leave your child without supervision.

Lifeguard: Should all house pools have a lifeguard? No, but when it comes to the events with a number of people and children, it is desirable to hire a professional lifeguard so that everybody could be relaxed and really have fun, or to invite a friend holding the Pool Lifeguard License, who passed the exam for a lifeguard not more than two years ago. It also applies to «decorative» pools around which wedding receptions are organised, it is necessary to have it always under someone’s eye. Because life is priceless. Just one moment of negligence is enough for a life-long grief.

Equipment: As every car has to have the first aid kit, tyre chains, the same applies to swimming pools, especially those whose purpose has been changed from swimming to partying, they must have: a lifeguard on duty, a high chair for him, but also a fence, buoy, rescue tube or wheel, rescue rope and spinal board for immobilisation, first aid kit, intubation set and automatic defibrillator.

Responsibility: Don’t be one of those who shift the responsibility onto others. The easiest thing is to write down a warning notice and tape it on a wall: «all persons using the pool do so at their own risk». Well, on the one hand it is professional, but does it really solve the possible problems or you’re just legally protecting yourselves from the unwanted events. Human life is in question, and nothing is more important than life.

Cleanliness: Can you imagine a swimming pool after a party, or a wedding reception is over? Even if not used, there’s always something which can fall in by chance. When I used to work as a coach in the SC Vojvodina from Novi Sad (Serbia) in the late 1990s, I had a chance to see a swimming pool the morning after a New Year’s Eve party. It’s something you really wouldn’t like

to see. As real professionals, we were to have a regular training on January 2, and you can guess now that we didn’t have it due to the justified reason… It was full of all sorts of things. So, if you are enjoying a pool party this weekend, please, make sure you leave it in the state in which you found it, clean and impeccable. So that others can also enjoy it, swim and take photos.

If the swimming pool has none of the above-mentioned things, then it’s not safe for the swimmers and visitors at all.

My intention was not to «spoil» your plans to throw a birthday party for your kid, or a wedding reception or a team-building party at a pool. I just want you to keep your eyes open and be responsible. This is the only way you and your children can enjoy your time at the pool.

Remember, water brings huge benefits and pleasures, but it also takes human lives!