|
There wasn’t much to do in Tustin
during summer vacations while I was growing up.
We had no movies, no shopping mall, no nearby
amusement parks, no organized sports or
recreation. Vacation Bible school at either
Tustin Presbyterian or the Advent Christian
church and Girl Scout Day Camp were the most
exciting items on our agenda.
Some kids went away to camp,
but because of the Depression, most families had
little extra money. A phone call asking, “Wanna
go swimming?” could save your whole day. There
was no need to ask, “your house or mine?" No one
in Tustin had a backyard pool. The Tustin High
School pool was the only place to swim on a hot
summer afternoon.
Although our parents would
gladly have driven us in exchange for an
afternoon of peace and quiet, we preferred to
ride our bicycles. Traveling on our own, we
could loiter in the shade of the giant pepper
trees on Main Street, stop to chat with our
friends and visit the Tustin Drug Store soda
fountain for a coke or ice cream.
Adjacent to the high school
gymnasium, the outdoor pool was magnificent for
its time. Our young eyes saw it as at least
Olympic size and very official with tile lane
markers and high and low diving boards. The life
guard kept the turmoil of kids in order, using
his whistle to stop anyone who ventured deeper
than he considered safe for them or became
rowdy. Cannon ball dives were prohibited and
almost no one dared to attempt a high dive. We
suffered many painful belly flops, but most of
us conquered the low board.
Pool rules required swimmers
to shower before entering the pool and wade
through a trough filled with liquid disinfectant
as they entered the pool gate. Girls had to wear
bathing caps, but these minor inconveniences
didn’t dim the pleasure of being part of the
pool crowd. Part of the appeal was having access
to the adjacent girls’ locker room. Although it
smelled of dirty socks and chlorine, we liked
the luxury of individual changing cubicles and a
large wall mirror where we could primp without a
parent or sibling pushing us out. Using the
community shower tested our modesty, but we soon
learned to cower behind a towel
Although the pool opened for
recreational swimming every summer afternoon
except when polio was rampant, none of us took
lessons there. Some of us had learned to swim in
the bay at Newport and passed our knowledge on
to those who couldn’t swim.
After we entered high school,
swimming at the pool was not cool. The beach was
the place to be seen. Swimming was part of the
physical education curriculum, but only a few
participated in competitive swimming. Less than
a dozen girls represented Tustin High in the
swim meets held among the various high schools
during our years in high school.
If anyone had peered into a
crystal ball and predicted the popularity of
swimming competition and water polo some 65
years later, and a swimming pool in almost every
backyard in Tustin, we’d never have believed it.
|
