The New Orleans Recreation Department (NORD) will host the annual splashdown celebration commemorating the start of summer at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, June 17 at the Taylor Playground swimming pool, 2600 S. Roman St. During the event, organizations that have joined with NORD to provide summer programming will join NORD Director Larry Barabino, Jr. and Kenya Smith, Director of Intergovernmental Relations, as they officially open the pools for the summer. They also will welcome the Oakland, California Swim Team to New Orleans and introduce NORD’s 2008 Swim Team to the community.
"NORD has been working daily to bring more pools back on line, and later this summer, we will celebrate the opening of the Stallings Gentilly Pool that will give our kids another opportunity to enjoy NORD activities,” Larry Barabino, Jr, director of NORD. “In addition to swim camps, NORD provides fun, challenging and educational programs that will keep our youth engaged through the summer and will also help them become productive leaders.”
The 15-member Oakland Swim Team will demonstrate various swimming techniques during the event. The team will participate in a swim camp for youth to teach competitive skills and techniques.
The NORD Swim Team will also be present. Ten members of the team, ages 6 to 16, will compete in the Urban Classic in Atlanta, Georgia on June 28 and 29. During the 2008 Short Course (24 yards to 100 yards) season that concluded in March, seven members of the NORD Swim Team finished among the top 16 in the state.
NORD is hosting a variety of swimming programs this summer. Earlier this month, NORD began offering the Swim for Life summer program that provides youth with swimming lessons and day camps from 9 a.m. until noon daily, recreational swimming on Monday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., and adult swimming lessons at noon at different locations throughout the city.
In addition, NORD will hold summer swimming lessons from 5 until 6 p.m. every Monday through Thursday, and from 9 until 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Whitney Young pool. Recreational swimming is offered at the pool every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Swimming lessons will also be offered at the St. Bernard Center pool on Monday thru Thursday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m
- Behrman, 2529 General Meyer Ave.
- Lyons Center, 624 Louisiana Ave.
- Lemann, 1600 Lafitte St.
- Whitney M. Young, 6500 Magazine St.
- St. Bernard, 1500 Lafreneiere St.
- Harrell Playground, 2300 Leonidas St.
- Taylor Playground, 2600 Roman St.
NORD has partnered with local and national organizations to offer a wide range of educational, recreational and cultural opportunities. Youth may participate in summer programs as diverse as tennis, theatrical arts and aquatics. Programs are structured for children 6-17. The department teams with the city's JOB1 Career Solutions Office to offer internship and job training opportunities for youth ages 14-21.
For a complete list of available summer programs and activities, visit the city’s website at www.cityofno.com. For more information on NORD, dial 311 or call (504) 658-2299.