Pool Posse
Water-loving Members share how the Sky Pool Pass offers much more than a chance to perfect their stroke.
Bad knees, two reconstructed shoulders and three open-heart surgeries can’t keep Member David Richardson out of the water.
“I am somewhat restricted to basically only being able to swim freestyle,” says the 61-year-old Australian. “I use a frontal snorkel to help me breathe.”
Despite this, Richardson has reaped the rewards of long-distance swims and now regularly racks up more than 100 laps each time he heads to the Club’s glass-domed pool.
The Sky Pool Pass has helped him reach that mark. Introduced last January, the all-inclusive pass gives Members unlimited access to all nine adult aquatic programs, from beginner, intermediate and advanced stroke development classes to the Swim Fit and Aqua Fitness cardio workouts. A pair of former Olympians even lead endurance and technique sessions.
“Since its inception, the Sky Pool Pass has amassed over 80 regular participants, which has made it possible for the aquatics team to provide a full year of courses without interruption, develop new courses and increase attendance,” says Nils Plett, a Club governor and a pool regular himself. “Most importantly, it has contributed to the growth of a larger, unified swimming community within the Club.”
That sense of community helped former college swimmer Mike Foley overcome his hesitation about joining a cadre of swimmers again.
“There was no pressure,” the American says, “just encouragement from the other swimmers.”
Foley, 49, returned to the pool for health reasons. When he hit a “new personal weight record” of 120 kilograms, he decided to make some lifestyle changes. After swimming five or six days a week for the past few months, he’s back under 100 kilos.
He credits the coaches, who create workouts at “just the right intensity,” for his speedy weight loss.
“But I will say, the 9am Swim Fit class on Fridays always has me scared to look at the workout on the board,” he admits. “I’m completely spent afterwards. When I graduated, I hung up my swim trunks and vowed never to wake up at the crack of dawn for swim practice. Now, here I am full circle doing it again.”
It took a little longer for Hiromitsu Miyamoto to discover the benefits of group lessons at the Club. The 55-year-old had been a solo lap swimmer for three years, but the more he watched the Swim Fit class in the next lane, the more he realized how his endurance and technique would improve from structured practice. He now joins group programs three days a week.
Image: Morning Masters class at the Sky Pool with coach Bruno Ortiz-Cañavate
“It was my routine to swim every day when I was a child, but I struggled to stay in shape for 10 years after I stopped swimming,” he says. “Since I started using the Sky Pool Pass, my life has become healthier. I also think that swimming in the morning is a great way to start the day. After swimming, you are able to concentrate better, and it has positive mental effects.”
Miyamoto competed at the Junior Olympics, as well as in high school and college meets. Now, as a keen masters swimmer, he is determined to end 2024 in the top three of the Japan Masters Swimming Association’s annual rankings for the 200-meter butterfly.
With dreams of competing in a triathlon, Yeon Sung, 44, began swimming 20 years ago after moving from South Korea to Japan.
“But then life happened,” she says. “And I didn’t do the triathlon.”
In 2022, she returned to the water, only now her goals are about keeping fit, rehabilitating an injured hip and swimming faster than her kids, aged 10 and 12, both of whom swim regularly.
Sung works out most mornings before work with coaches Bruno and Miguel Ortiz-Cañavate, brothers who represented Spain at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
“I’m swimming a lot better than before,” she says. “And, frankly speaking, I wouldn’t be here without attending these classes. The camaraderie is so motivational, and I enjoy improving at something I’ve really just started learning at this age.”
The Sky Pool Pass subscribers might have different motivations for signing up, but it’s the companionship that keeps them pushing their limits together.
“The folks that swim are all amazing individuals in their own right,” says Foley. “We have fun both in and out of the pool, and the sense of community is wonderful.”
Sky Pool Pass
Between January 2 and February 29, Members not already subscribed to the Sky Pool Pass can try out the lineup of adult classes for free.
Words: David McElhinney
Top Image (l–r) David Richardson, Yeon Sung, Mike Foley and Hiromitsu Miyamoto: Yuuki Ide
