Speaking of staying cool, I went with a friend on one of those really hot days to Victoria Pool, to check on its progress. The pool is being completely renovated, and it is rumored that the water will be heated. While it seems that might extend the season into September, a month more of summer at the pool is a high price to pay. Victoria Pool's excruciatingly cold water is one of its attractions. I know that may sound slightly insane -- that plunging into a chlorine Slushie would be such a big draw. But none of my pool buddies are happy about the prospect of heated water.It's a little hard to explain. The big question when you go to the pool is are you going in the water. It is such a big deal that, when you get off your lounge to take the plunge, you announce your impending dip into the icy waters to all within earshot. It's like a kid who insists his parents watch his every splash in a display of courage and innovation. So, you swing your legs over the side of the lounge, take a few deep breaths to prepare for the big one that will deplete your lungs on impact and announce, 'I'm going in.' Then your poolside audience will marvel at your bravery and ask, before you can catch your breath after surfacing, 'Is it cold?'I have been surprised that, over the years, more people haven't suffered some sort of cardiac event when they enter the water at Victoria Pool. On the other hand, it might work as an emersion defibrillator, a way to jumpstart a failing heart. Heating Victoria Pool is a bad idea. I guess we'll have to wait until June, when the pool finally opens, to see if we can keep our cold feet.
Jill Wing is a feature writer at The Saratogian. Wingin' It is published alternating Sundays in the Life section.
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