Keeping swimmers safe is the most crucial task for aquatic facility managers. Luckily, there are plenty of tools at your disposal, from water safety training for patrons to lifeguard certification and training for a variety of types of aquatic facilities and more.

Play equipment is meticulously designed to protect children from catastrophic injury, but it shouldn't eliminate risk entirely. Finding the right balance is important to encouraging children's growth without risking their health.

At the college and professional levels, sports facility security is often a full-time job. But high schools, park districts and other providers of sports tournaments and programs can learn from the pros to improve safety at their own facilities.

Whether it's certification for fitness trainers and climbing instructors, or orientation for club members, training and education are a crucial pillar in providing safety at your facility.

After losing his father to a fertilizer plant explosion, one boy sought to transform and heal his community through a playground rebuild.

When lightning struck this community's beloved YMCA, everyone came together to provide a temporary home for important programs while the facility was quickly rebuilt.

While many facilities are transitioning their sports fields to synthetic turf, natural grass turf can provide many useful benefits.

Tensioned membrane structures can be a great, quick solution when you want your facility up and running fast. And with new color options, your ability to customize a unique design has vastly expanded.

With every line item in the budget under scrutiny, aquatic facility managers are looking for ways to reduce operating expenses, while still providing the cleanest, safest and most efficient swimming environment possible.

There's more than one thing designers and architects can agree on when discussing natatoriums, but the bottom line on all their common ground is this: It's a building and environment unlike any other.

From natural playgrounds to community gardens and expanding nature trails, getting back to nature is a powerful recreation trend leaving its mark on just about everything in the industry-including aquatic programming, attractions and facility design.

Sports fields often must cater to a diverse range of sports and users—especially those serving park districts and local schools. Here, we talk to the experts about how to set your goals and design effective fields.

Fitness is an ever-changing landscape, with new trends continually emerging, and old ones fading out. Running a successful fitness facility means remaining flexible and adjusting as each new trend comes and goes.

From tensioned fabric structures to air-supported and beyond, there are plenty of options when you want to enclose your recreation, sports and fitness activities without getting involved in a lengthy and complex design-and-construction process.

Making a commitment to more inclusive programming means more than mouth service. Training staff, incorporating smart programming and making sure your facility can accommodate everyone is crucial.

Programming your aquatic facility wisely can lead to a big boost in attendance—and revenue. Here are some clever ways to attract new users to your pool while keeping existing swimmers satisfied.

Designing recreation facilities requires a flexible mindset, and an awareness that what students want now might not be the same as what they want next year.

Traditional men's and women's locker rooms have gradually given way to a more diverse array of options. Many facilities have added family changing rooms, as well as lockers outside of the locker room for those who come and go already dressed in their workout gear. Find out about these and other trends.

Dog parks continue to pop up across the country, and for good reason. Here, we'll take a look at finding the right site and designing a dog-friendly setting, as well as how to get more people to use the park via marketing and programming.

Increasing energy efficiency is consistently the No. 1 way respondents to our annual Industry Report say they are trying to reduce their operating costs. In this article, we'll look at the best ways to improve operating efficiencies by decreasing use of resources.

What exactly does MWR do for our troops? Find out more about this crucial mission of our armed forces, as well as how communities and military are partnering to bring sports and recreation to veterans and wounded warriors.

Without enough ice to go around and a desire to extend the swimming season indefinitely, Collingwood officials found a simple, fast solution to help expand opportunities for sports, fitness and fun.

For fitness facilities, small group training can be a huge boon. Learn more about how this type of training can benefit your facility and members alike.

While many aquatic facilities have gotten up-to-date with the latest ADA rules and regulations, there are many that still need to provide a means to access the water.

There is a tremendous variety of art and sculpture in the public realm, and for the most part, kids love to play on anything they can climb. Here's how to make public art and play meet halfway.

For those who dwell in urban and even some suburban areas, access to nature can be difficult, or even nonexistent. Here's how park designers help address the shortage—by creating parks that provide a respite from the daily urban grind.

These days, many of us are living longer. And longer lives means more seniors to serve in our communities, and a broader range of active ages and interests and abilities to engage. While playgrounds will almost always be focused on children, more communities are finding ways to encourage play across all generations.

Site furnishings bring character and balance to a park's open space, with benches, water fountains and picnic tables being just a few of the common accessories you can find. But furnishing your park site requires careful planning, too, with one of the best ways being to understand or determine the common or intended use for your specific areas.

A natural connection is an important part of the park setting. In this feature, we'll look at how splash play areas are taking cues from nature to create inspiring settings, in addition to offering an understanding of water treatment options that help save water.

Getting your climbing program off the ground means understanding your options, from flexible climbing solutions that help you expand your programming to knowing how to keep everyone safe in your facility.

Providing a range of recreational options can bring in revenue and boost excitement in the community. From riverfront parks to reclaimed lakes to manmade family aquatic centers, what are some ideas for transforming a source of water into a source of Wow!

From initial design through operation, skateparks and bike parks are a crucial amenity to the communities they serve, providing an outlet for kids and helping them meet and overcome common challenges.

When this high school needed a new field for its football team and other programs, it looked to the experience of local experts.

Situated right outside the entrance to the InfoCision football stadium at the University of Akron in Ohio is a special new addition—a John W. Heisman Custom Bronze Statue.

Your playground can stand out from the pack, but it's crucial that you work closely with an experienced and successful playground manufacturer to make it happen.

The best sports, recreation and fitness facilities are designed by a team that works closely together, with an architect who acts as the conductor to orchestrate the beauty that is the end result.

While cardio floors, weight areas and group fitness rooms are part and parcel of most fitness facilities, there are many niches that come and go as trends change. Here's how to design a facility that can roll with the changes.

Most municipalities are home to a ballfield or two, but some parks districts and departments go above and beyond to create sports parks that are true destinations, able to host pick-up games as well as tournaments.

In the past several years, more and more recreation, sports and fitness facilities are being designed in concert with healthcare facilities, providing people a way to transition through recovery to a life a wellness.

Once upon a time, an outdoor pool was a simple rectangle with maybe a diving board or two. These days, outdoor aquatics provide a far more complex experience, pleasing patrons of all ages and abilities.

Sustainable site design means different things in different environments. This feature will consider some of the important ways sustainable design is affecting parks and sites in different areas.

When one mother noticed a dearth of accessible playgrounds in her area, she decided to start raising funds. The result has been called the most accessible playground in the world.

At The Boys & Girls Club in Asbury Park, N.J., kids are exposed to aquatics who might not ever learn to swim otherwise. Here's what happened when the facility needed to improve its pool.

By designing flexible, multi-use, large-volume facilities where both varsity athletes and the broader campus community can take advantage of shared amenities, colleges can maximize their investments—both in terms of dollars and space.

Installing an UV system at a commercial aquatic facility will lower chemical usage in a pool by 30 to 50 percent and achieve safer water by eliminating pathogens, viruses and chloramines. Here's how to choose the best fit for your facility.

More than 2,100 professionals responded to our call for information about their facilities, operations, programming, staffing and more. Here, we summarize their responses.

Here we take a look at trends in facilities across the country, breaking down the information by region to understand how things differ depending on which part of the country they're located.

This section covers trends in facilities that include indoor or outdoor pools, splash play areas, waterparks and spas, including a look at aquatics-specific features and programs.

Parks and recreation respondents make up the largest portion of the survey audience. Here, we examine some of the trends in these facilities, highlighting revenues and budgets, as well as construction plans and programming trends.

Colleges and universities have seen budget cuts at the state level, but they still provide wellness, sports, fitness and recreation to students via innovative and beautiful facilities. Here's a look at on-campus trends.

In many locations, schools and school districts are struggling to make ends meet, even as the rest of the economy has sputtered back to normal. This section takes a look at trends in the schools.

Health, fitness and sports clubs represent a unique segment of the market, more often operating as for-profit facilities that must make ends meet. Here's a look at how things are shaping up for these facilities.

YMCAs, JCCs and Boys & Girls Clubs continue to offer a wide range of opportunities for their members. Here we consider the latest trends in these mostly-nonprofit facilities.

In our annual Salary Survey, based on responses from more than 2,100 professionals in the recreation, sports and fitness industry, we see how salaries are inching up, along with happiness at work.

Playgrounds have come a long way since their inception, with huge advances in safety, as well as increasingly creative solutions that get kids moving and having fun.

Keeping aquatic facilities running smoothly requires close attention to daily, weekly and other regularly scheduled maintenance practices, as well as knowing when it's time to plan some renovations.

To design and develop an effective trail or greenway, you need to start with a proper plan. Community involvement and funding partnerships will help get the project off the ground.

At the glitzy Aria Resort & Casino, a new pool deck is turning heads.

The City of Sisters, Ore., wanted to encourage bikers along its trailways to stop in for a bite and enjoy the surrounding community. So, it turned to a restroom and shower building, as well as bike lockers.

Splash play continues to be one of the most popular planned additions at parks across the country. But splashpads have come a long way since their initial introduction, as manufacturers have learned more about how people like to play in water.

More and more schools and colleges are finding out that synthetic turf can be an effective solution for extending their season and programming on their baseball fields.

Parks, sports, recreation and fitness facilities are finding innovative new ways to save money and make their budgets work. Whether through energy conservation, creative partnering or any of a number of other methods, these new strategies are delivering results.

Welcome to our annual Problem-Solver Idea Book. Packed with scores of ideas, this reference tool was designed to help you tackle your most persistent and universal challenges, covering all the big basic questions. Consider it an industry guidebook of sorts, chock full of straightforward problem-solving tips.

AQUATICS

Maximize Pool Deck Space

Improve Air & Water Quality

Expand Programming to Boost Pool Attendance

Prevent & Solve Water Problems

Refurbish Your Old Pool

Bring Play Value to the Splashpad

Save Energy & Money at Your Pool

Renew Your Sprayground

Bring Beach Fun to the Playspace

Choose the Right Starting Blocks for Your Pool

Save Money, Improve Safety With Chlorine Generation

Generate Revenues From Your Waterfront

PARK & SITE FURNISHINGS

Furnish Your Site Effectively

Create an Attractive, Eco-Friendly Site

Keep Tables & Seats Cool & Comfortable

Encourage People to Clean Up After Pets

Create a Standout Campsite

Create an Aesthetically Appealing Site

Manage Waste & Recyclables

CONCESSIONS & EVENTS

Provide Patron-Pleasing Concessions

STRUCTURES, SHELTERS, SHADE & RESTROOMS

Maintain Your Restroom Structures

Provide Comfortable Restrooms Anywhere

Coordinate Your Park's Look

Find Sustainable Restroom Solutions

Provide Shade at the Pool

Replace Tents With Permanent Structures

Make Your Park Unique

PLAYGROUNDS & PARK SITES

Create a Unique Playground

Build a Park That Engages Your Community

Take Outdoor Fitness to the Next Level

Add Boating to Your Waterfront

Expand Learning Beyond the Classroom

Ensure Your Playground Safety Surface Meets Your Needs

Increase Lifecycle of Engineered Wood Fiber

SPORTS & FITNESS FACILITIES

Solve Synthetic Turf Seams Problems

Provide All-Season Sport & Training

Build a Sustainable Sports Facility

Simplify Your Towel Service

Control Noise in Your Natatorium or Gym

Refurbish Your Courts

Please Locker Room Patrons

Prioritize Gym Equipment Cleanliness

Protect Gym Members & Equipment

Get Seating Where You Need It

 

As schools continue to eliminate art, music and other creative learning, one park district is stepping up to the plate to fill in the gap.

What can shade do for you? Boost revenue? Check. Create a gathering place? Check. Turn your park into a destination? Check. Increase attendance and patron comfort? Check.

Outdoor fitness provides a way for everyone to get active without having to pony up for a gym membership, and communities are increasingly using them to boost their health.

While the team plays and spectators look on, there's a whole host of behind-the-scenes technology making the game go. In this feature, we'll examine the latest trends in sports lighting, sound systems and scoreboards.

People walk your grounds every day, and they likely have no idea how much work goes into making those sites functional and beautiful. This feature covers some best practices in grounds maintenance, with a special look at greener methods.

When this popular water resort wanted to boost the fun, they turned to an inflatable obstacle course.

UV can be a useful tool for keeping your pool's water safe for swimmers, but there's more to this technology than meets the eye.

Splash play areas are tremendously popular, but with new advances, your older splash play area might be ready for some smart upgrades.

Do you know what's in your janitor's closet? In many cases, you can save costs by reducing redundancies and using the most effective products available, as well as by making purchases as part of a group.

Restrooms are available in a range of styles and setups so you can find just what you need to suit your site. Whether you're looking for a plumbed and powered facility or a simple vault toilet, your options abound.

Destination waterparks need to attract business and keep people coming back for more to stay afloat. With surfing simulators, clever marketing and continual changes and expansion, the best and brightest waterparks are finding success.

Before you get your fest off the ground, find out more about best practices and clever innovations that others have engaged to attract a crowd.

There's a lot more than meets the eye to playground safety surfaces, and despite any claims about safety, the context of your site—including prevailing weather, use and much more—can have an impact.

Sports and fitness surfaces for indoor facilities often need to serve a variety of needs, from sport activities to hosting events and more. Learn more about what makes a good surface for a range of programming.

With its views of Lake Michigan, Northwestern University's Sailing Center provides a boatload of boating opportunities, and fits right into the landscape.

Locker rooms might not always be top-of-mind for your visitors, but you'd better believe they'll notice if you don't properly design and care for these spaces. Here are some essential elements of a well-planned locker room.

If you want to lower the operating costs of your aquatic facility, it can be helpful to begin with cost calculators, which can help determine areas of potential savings.

From personal devices for tracking movement to equipment that engages and interacts, group fitness and more, fitness equipment is constantly adjusting to the expectations of exercisers.

When you want to create an effective aquatics program, you have to get the basics right first. Start by teaching everyone how to swim, and grow from there.

Playground maintenance should be regular and standardized if you want to ensure your play equipment is in safe and proper working order.

Expanding your programming can be as simple as hopping onto the bandwagon and offering a new sport that's growing in popularity across the country, like archery, adventure racing and pickleball.

At this family aquatic center, slides and splash play round out the new offerings provided by a savvy renovation.

Athletic performance and fitness performance can be affected by the surface beneath our feet, which is why facility planners need to take care and select surfaces that will be effective for the kinds of programming they plan to offer.