Kids, parents enjoy variety of water features
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MARSHALL – The Splash! aquatic center Assistant Manager Cora Maxwell said she was excited to finally watch swimmers fly down the “FlyTyme” slide.
"Your heart just drops," Maxwell said during the opening of the aquatic center. "It’s actually insane."
Attendees of all ages shared their reactions to seeing the new aquatic center up close and experiencing it for the first time.
Sisters Paula, 13, Catherine, 11, and Ava Cruz, 11, shared similar excitement about the new slides. Paula said she's most excited about the “FlyTyme” slide. Her siblings, Ava and Catherine -- both 11 -- are a little more nervous about getting launched up, but they said they are still excited to try both it and the “Run Out” -- a pitch black tube slide.
"I like how it doesn’t go into the pool," Ava Cruz said. "It just stops at the bottom."
Parents also expressed their excitement over the aquatic center.
Kathy Weedman, mother of Emily Weedman, The Splash’s attendant manager, says she’s most excited about the variety. A zero depth pool for young children, and the slides and lazy river for teenagers and adults.
"I think that what’s different about this aquatic center is it’s really more for different ages," said Kathey Weedman.
Kim Gunther, a mother of two, appreciates the pool’s commitment to giving other patrons a nice place to sit back and watch their children with more seating and plenty of shade.
"As a parent and someone who grew up with raising my kids at the other pool, it’s just really nice to see so much space and shade and so many different water features," Kim Gunther said.
At 12:30 p.m., the pool opened to patrons for the first time. Derek Hanson, 12, tried the “Zero Depth” pool, getting dumped on by the buckets. Then he shot some buckets of his own at the water basketball hoops. He said came to the old pool for two years at least twice a week, and that he's going to try everything at The Splash.
Over at the slides, it was Kim Gunther’s 12-year-old son, Cade, who got to be one of the first patrons to go down the “FlyTyme” slide. It launched him nearly 5 feet into the air.
"It was crazy," Cade Gunther said. "Water got in my face."