The Recreational Services Natatorium at the University of Iowa was designed by Counsilman-Hunsaker and uses the DigiQuatics app to assist with a number of operational tasks. Below, Emily Downes, the associate director of Aquatics, shares about the technology her team uses to keep their facility running efficiently, and trends to keep an eye on.
Campus Rec: How has technology benefited your aquatics department?
Emily Downes: Since transitioning to DigiQuatics in 2018, this technology application has benefited our aquatics operations significantly. DigiQuatics has eased the coordination of staff scheduling, tracking of aquatics certifications, signups for in-service trainings, patron counts and more. It has been convenient for staff to have access to the schedule, shift changes and sub requests right from their phones. You can receive reminder emails of upcoming expiring certifications and run reports to identify high and low pool usage. Having one application to assist with the management of a majority of administrative operations has also enabled our coordinators to spend more of their time focusing on staff, programs and events.
CR: What pool technology trends have you been noticing? What should other aquatics departments keep their eye on?
ED: Digital technology has been a popular trend in Aquatics. Paper logs and forms are fading away, and technology applications specific to aquatics operations are being introduced and advancing. There are many aquatics applications available to assist any aquatics facility. And many of them are customizable to your aquatics facility, making the use of the application more affordable.
Other Aquatics departments should keep their eye on how pool technology can help improve their operations. Learning more about technology in aquatics not only allows for more organized tracking systems, but also faster methods and processes in aquatics operations. With the possibility of pool operations and schedules changing rapidly, technology in aquatics has enabled for quicker and more direct communication with staff and patrons, and allows for adjustments to schedules and hours in a timely manner. This can all be done on the pool deck from a phone or tablet.
CR: Why is keeping up-to-date with pool technology important?
ED: Keeping up with pool technology is important because you can learn new ways to improve your aquatics operations. Every pool facility is different, and technology applications can serve facilities differently. It’s important to learn about what pool technology is available and how it can best serve your facility.
