August 15, 2025: Misaligned preferences
Good Morning,
I heard the most incredible, probative phrase to use when defusing a customer interaction that's quickly going off the rails:
"It seems you have a reason for saying that...." - Chris Voss
Chris Voss is a former FBI hostage negotiater, so he knows a thing or two about talking to people in difficult situations and potentially on the worst day of their life. Customers - people - easily feel big emotions when something doesn't go as smoothly as expected. But they also don't necessarily know what they want (yet) as a resolution; the idea may still be developing in their mind, heavily informed by emotions and the intensity of the interaction.
So, it may not be helpful to ask how they would like the problem resolved (the classic customer service training I've always followed), they literally do not know. Preferences are misaligned with reality, but otherwise difficult to identify.
Stating "It seems you have a reason for saying that...." as a polite "why is this an issue?" provides an easy opportunity to identify what they're reacting to, and then we can try to solve for it. Try this method out this week (at work or home) and let me know how it goes!
Here's all of the pool-adjacent news that grabbed my attention this week -
Injured Passenger Sues Royal Caribbean Over Broken Icon of the Seas Waterslide I am hearing unsubstantiated claims the water slide was made of two different composites. Did the materials have different tensile strengths that could have resulted in operational irregularities when bolted together? We may actually never know if this is settled quickly.
Emilie Kiser's Husband Allegedly Placed a $25 Sports Bet, Then Lost Sight of Their 3-Year-Old Son During Fatal Drowning
The reason I keep bringing this story up is because it might be an entry point to important water safety conversations with non-pool people in your sphere of influence. (See also this Instagram post.) Influencers are people too; I do not wish to malign this family more than any other for mistakes & consquences they will already live with for the rest of their lives.
Emilie Kiser Wins Legal Order to Redact 2 Pages of Police Report with 'Graphic' Details of 3-Year-Old Son Trigg's 'Final Moments'
I generally like to provide better quality sources, but only the gossip rags are still covering this story in any detail.
Nearly a year after firefighter drowned, KCFD makes details of his death public
If you read through the details, it sounds like the organization had no hazard assessment for this routine exercise. If it was a "low risk training exercise" why have spotters? If it was a mandated annual swim, why didn't they have rescue equipment ready? If spotters "immediately noticed a change" to the victim, and there was only four people in the pool testing, why was he underwater for 30 seconds? And finally, if you have full confidence in your actions and nothing to hide, why did it take a public records request over a year to disclose this information from a publicly-funded agency?
Plastic Turf Fields Are Taking Over America
Super interesting synopsis of a variety of issues I was not previously aware of. Some concerns may not apply to small turf transition areas around spray parks & splash pads, but it's worth knowing the complexity of the issues. I, for one, did not know that some turf infill (an application layer) is pulverized car tires. Children could routinely be exposed to toxins released by those heated tires during hot summer weather.
Teen found dead in Lake Anna 'jumped from structure into the water,' witnesses say We are not doing enough to educate people about the hazards of jumping from a great height, even into sufficiently deep water.
Pool reopening delayed at Airdrie's Genesis Place amid basin complications
This is a pretty substantial closure (June - October "at least"). Does anyone have any other details they can share with me in confidence? Airdrie is one of the fastest growing communities in Canada, hitting 90,000 residents in 2025, a 4,500 increase over last year.
Canada in 'facility crisis' as aging public pools face wave of major repairs or closures
"More than half of Canada's publicly-owned indoor pools are at least 25 years old." Not news to those of us who work in the aquatic/recreation industry daily, but important to keep restating until we're actually heard.
Summer’s dark side: How not to dim your fun
This could very well be the best quote I've read so far in 2025. "The health of a pool is only as good as the caretaker of it and the optimal hygiene of those using it."
Rising costs blamed for drop in pool temperatures The Russian war on Ukraine continues to meaningfully impact aquatic facility utility (operating) costs in Europe.
I make $22,000 a month renting out backyard pools through an app. It's an easy side hustle that only takes a few hours a week. I don't support Swimply-type pool rentals without some form of regulation, but I'm not naive about the financial incentives these rentals create for owners who have residential pools sitting largely unused many days per week.
Meet the Croatian-Canadian behind the floating water park revolution
Water World to bid farewell to park section after decades
Some of you might recall this site had a major water contamination from a backflow preventer installed incorrectly by an unlicensed plumber, leading to hundreds of people getting sick when contaminated water from a retention pond was mistakenly fed into drinking water lines throughout the water park. (Not all of the details I've provided are in the linked article - I heard a Colorado PHI speak to this incident at a conference.)
North Las Vegas hosts back-to-school pool party for families What a unique idea to celebrate the end of summer. Why don't more aquatic facilities do this?
Watch: Florida police officer removes alligator from family's pool with bare hands
This is not strictly pool related, but the kindness shown to this aggressive alligator is pretty astounding.
How a Veteran Lifeguard Spends His Fridays
I think this feature is a good representation of how hard a lot of pool managers work during the busy summer pool season.
Plus Pool is hell-bent on situating a floating pool in the turbulent waters of the East River
Soak, Steam, Plunge, Repeat: 6 Restorative Water Getaways
Many here in Alberta are waiting for the highly-anticipated Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Glacial Basin to open in September. I am booked to see the facility in October, unless something changes.
The small set of steps and a couple’s ‘ludicrous’ pool standoff with council
This one is worth a read because it's a pretty complex design situation.
A new graph from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association showcases changes to group fitness activity preferences over the last five years. Yes, this includes the Pandemic, so it may not be the best indicator of future trends or growth, but it's incredible to see aquatic fitness on the way up.
Thank you for being here & see you next week.
Katie Crysdale Lakeview Aquatic Consultants Ltd.