Waterpark
Third of children can't swim: it's time to act
ALEATHA EZRA
According to a 2012 report by t h e
Ama t e u r
S w immin g Association, “one third of children in England cannot swim by the time they leave primary school”. Tis is in spite of the fact that the
Department of Education has made it part of the national curriculum with a goal that students seven to 11 learn to swim 25m unaided. While learning to swim is a life-saving skill, some educational institutes are find- ing it hard to balance the needs to improve English and maths test scores while also focusing on areas that fall with physical education. However, most drownings are
still preventable. Tis is why water- park owners and operators should consider playing a bigger role in the drowning prevention movement. Here are a few ways that water- park operators can get involved and
make a difference: n Consider launching a full-fledged swimming lesson program at your facility. Or, if this isn't possible, part- ner with your local aquatic centre to provide access to your facility for
skill practice sessions. n Host a World’s Largest Swimming Lesson event on 20 June 2014. Tis is an international Guinness World Record™ attempt which provides the means to communicate with the media and consumers to con- vey that loss of life from drowning can be prevented through awareness and training. Visit
WLSL.org to learn
more and register as a host location. n Participate in Drowning Prevention Week, a national campaign from the Royal Life Saving Society UK to pro- mote water safety and help reduce drowning incidents. Remember, drowning is the third
most common cause of accidental death in children. Now is the time for the waterpark industry to get more involved and make a difference.
Aleatha Ezra, director of park member development, World Waterpark Association
14 US$89m waterpark for Toronto
A CAD$60m (US$88.8m, €64m, £53.7m) waterpark expected to operate 365 days a year is planned for the Greater Toronto Area, with hopes construction will start in 2015 for a 2016 curtain raiser. The marbleLive project
is led by Toronto entrepre- neur John Barrack and marblemedia (a Canadian multi-platform content creator), who believe this summer-all-year theme park will fill a major void in the region's attractions market. “After you go through
the winter that we just went through you realise that you really need to give people of all ages something to do in the winter,” said John Barrack. The
100,000s q f t
(9,290sq m) attraction expects to feature a retract- able roof – enabling it to function all year – in addi- tion to sandy beaches, wave pools, crazy rivers, restau- rants and live entertainment. Although the location has not
Te park will feature sandy beaches, wave pools and crazy rivers
yet been confirmed, the devel- opers have been in talks with city officials and Ontario's Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport to discuss the poten- tial boost to local tourism. Developers will choose
between three short-listed locations to cater for the
expected 500,000 visitors within its first year of oper- ation and 230 full-time personnel. Aside from last year's Ripley's Aquarium launch, marbleLive claims to be the first new attraction in the area in over 25 years. Details:
http://lei.sr?a=y6v6Q
Additional surf theme for Cowabunga Bay
Las Vegas waterpark Cowabunga Bay remains on track to open this year – with Turkish designer Polin unveil- ing a new giant waterslide for the impending attraction. The US$23m (€16.7m,
£13.8m) Cowabunga Bay repre- sents Istanbul-based waterpark designer Polin's first turnkey contract and largest water- park project in the US. The park was originally scheduled to open in 2013, but construc- tion issues created significant delays. Mid-2014 has been set as the new opening date. Polin says the improved
waterslide attraction – Wild Surf – will be the first of its Surf Safari high-capacity waterslides, which feature a 40-degree sloped entrance, parabolic design and have been created exclu- sively for the Las Vegas park.
Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital
An overview of the site, which is due to open in the middle of 2014
Te giant slide features a four- person raſt that travels through the dark before dropping 55ſt (17m) into the world's largest man-made parabolic wave. Cowabunga Bay is located on a 23-acre site, segmented
into three areas: Hawaiian- themed Aloha Shores; 1950s-inspired Surf City USA; and The Boardwalk. Polin has also master-planned the park for future expansion. Details:
http://lei.sr?a=V2F3p
AM 2 2014 ©Cybertrek 2014
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