April 24, 2026: Reasonably foreseeable problems

Good Morning & Happy Friday,

If you are a new subscriber, the goal is to get the newsletter out on Wednesdays (no specific time) but - as I shared in the audio version of last week's newsletter - we are going through staffing/admin transitions right now, so that just didn't happen. I appreciate your patience. I'm never going to send out a junk newsletter for the sake of meeting an arbitrary deadline; I respect your already-limited time too much.

It also brings me to one of my own personal defects, and you might be the same way too: ignoring what is reasonably foreseeable.

To create the newsletter, each week I'm collecting different news stories, topics and items that interest me as I go through the week; I'm adding the headlines (below) as I read them, and finalizing the op ed, videos, etc. on the fly Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning. Most weeks this works really well because I want the newsletter to be as current as possible when I send it out.

However, once a month I teach a Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) Certified Pool Operator (CPO) class on Zoom. We split this up as 4 days x 4 hours, so at least 20+ hours of my work week is dedicated delivering this class. If you've ever taught anything technical, you know it requires focus and preparation to do it well, and I take very seriously that people are counting on me to explain how their pool works!

Where I'm going with all this is that I'm great at no longer accepting/scheduling client deadlines and consulting projects on CPO weeks - I don't have the bandwidth - but even though it's reasonably foreseeable that the newsletter deadline is also going to be an issue, every month I'm surprised and disappointed when the deadline flies past during CPO class week without me accomplishing the deliverable.

My takeaway for you this week is to take a moment to look at your work/pool/staff/life schedule and identify what is reasonably foreseeable as a potential friction point or problem. Then, fix it.

Also, understand that it is reasonable foreseeable that not every single work day is equally productive. Therefore, make your to-do list for the week (not the day), and track your achievements by the month. Of course we all have obligations that must be done at a specific hour in the day, but in formative years like high school, no one single day matters. The pattern is success over the course of the several months or the entire year. Where along the way did we become so focused on specific hours and days?

I definitely missed my newsletter deadline on Wednesday, but I got a lot of other meaningful work done this week, including moving several big projects forward. Does missing the newsletter matter a month or year from now? No, other than me potentially developing a bad habit. So give yourself some grace at the end of this work week that the most important things will remain, and the small detritus will fall away. It's reasonably foreseeable that perfection is impossible.

BTW, I saw this image at a conference last week and I know municipal aquatic staff need this right now as ratepayers are coming into their office to complain about summer swim lesson waitlists.

Here's all of the other aquatic industry news I've been reading & thinking about this week:

Fitness influencer drowns during swimming portion of Ironman Texas
This story is still developing; I hope to have a panel discussion for you about this next week. Also, I think it's rude to call her a "fitness influencer" as though she's a dilettante. Completing any Ironman is a significant personal undertaking: the elements for this event were a 1.2 mile swim, 56.8 mile bike, and 13.4 mile run.

If you are a recent subscriber, here are some resources we shared in conjunction with the Crossfit drowning fatality of  Lazar Đukić  in August 2024.
Unexpected drowning hazards at adventure races
Why Triathlon Drowning Deaths Occur: A Deep Dive w/ Dr. Katie Cleasby
The Hidden Dangers of CrossFit Competitions Nobody Talks About

Chief on Ironman drowning: Normally no swimming in lake
If the lake requires special dispensation due to low visibility and debris, why would any organizer want an event to take place here?

Actress Nadia Farès Dies at 57, One Week After Being Found Unconscious in a Swimming Pool
This is a great example whereby nonfatal drownings can still have critical consequences. Only one headline I saw explained this plainly: "Actress Nadia Farès in coma after serious accident in a swimming pool."

Minnesota court rules Swimply rentals can be consider [sic] public pools and need licenses
!!!!!!!!!!! This is such an important precedent. My presentation from the Southwest Pool & Spa Show on the commercial use of residential swimming pools is forthcoming on our YouTube channel shortly (video editing has fallen off my plate during staffing changes).

Condition Monitoring Allows Rides to ‘Talk’

Aquarabia rewriting the water park playbook with Saudi identity

Ghana tackles 1,400 yearly drowning cases with new initiative

Swimming becomes first major Olympic sport to lift restrictions on Russian athletes

City releases timeline for a Level One Water Emergency, summer changes to city pools
As difficult as droughts have been during the climate crisis over the last few years, I'm surprised this is the first community I've heard implementing something like this: "City officials say all public pools will remain open for now, but hours will be cut by about 25 percent as part of an early conservation push. Assistant City Manager Michael Dice says the goal is to strike a balance between saving water and maintaining access."

Fort Smith officials clear air on 'secret' water line to Parrot Island after study session reveal

Man, 25, drowns after swimming lesson at fitness club
This one is interesting and still sad. Having taught adult beginner swim lessons, many students would stay after class to practice further, but I was always in a lifeguard environment. This doesn't provide us the details of what the instructor did after the class ended.

Yukon gov't says it has no plans to restore Ross River community pool

Ray-Ban Meta cause a stir at prestigious sports event amid calls for a future ban
I think this is a relevant coda to our ongoing discussion about privacy with these items in the last few newsletter.

International Lifeguard Critical Response Alliance (ILCIRA)
I recently attended a presentation by the founder of this movement. Check out their website if you're not familiar what what they're trying to do for aquatic staff.

NEW! Anonymous Advice Column
People are always asking for help or my opinion, but sometimes they're too embarrassed to ask in the first place. I've started an advice column. Please feel welcome to submit any & all questions HERE without any judgement.

The registration deadline for our May 12 CPO Fusion is coming up fast. This is a great option if you are looking to recertify or have very limited time to spare before summer outdoor pool season. We only offer CPO Fusion classes a few times per year.

Thanks for being here & see you next Wednesday.

Katie Crysdale
Lakeview Aquatic Consultants Ltd.