JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas –
With Memorial Day weekend just around the corner, members of the Joint Base San Antonio community will soon have a summer’s worth of opportunities to beat the heat at the installation’s swimming pools.
Recreational swimming season begins May 24 at the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Aquatic Center, building 3302; JBSA-Lackland Warhawk Pool, building 2502; and the JBSA-Randolph Center Pool, building 502.
Summertime at the JBSA pools will also be filled with activities such as swim lessons at all three locations, triathlons at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, and water aerobics and volleyball nights at JBSA-Lackland.
Hours of operation for open swimming throughout the summer are noon to 8 p.m. Monday-Sunday at the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Aquatic Center; and 1-8 p.m. Monday, 1-8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 1-6 p.m. Sunday at the JBSA-Randolph Center Pool.
Lap swimming at the JBSA-Randolph South Pool, building 980, is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Thursday June 17-Aug. 8.
Hours of operation for open swimming at the JBSA-Lackland Warhawk Pool are 4-7 p.m. Tuesday-Friday from May 24-June 9 and 1-8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday starting May 24. Tuesday-Friday hours change to 1-7 p.m. starting June 10.
At JBSA-Lackland’s Skylark Aquatic Center, building 6482, lap swimming is year-round from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 1-5 p.m. Saturday. Open swimming is from 4-7 p.m. Monday-Friday and 1-5 p.m. Saturday.
Daily fees at the pools are $2 for children 10 years old and younger and $3 for other swimmers, while season passes cost $45 for individuals, $35 for military students, $85 for families of three, $50 for military families E-1 through E-4 and $10 for each additional family member.
Season pool passes are available for purchase at the JBSA-Randolph Community Services Mall, building 895, and will be available for purchase beginning May 13 at the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Aquatic Center and May 14 at the JBSA-Lackland Skylark Aquatic Center. Passes can be used at all three locations.
Swim lessons, which are offered to dependents of military members, cost $65 per session except for active-duty family members E-1 through E-4, whose cost is $35 per session.
Registration at the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Aquatic Center begins from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. May 13. Lessons are held Monday-Friday for two weeks. Session 1 begins June 3 with class times from 9-9:45 a.m. and 11-11:45 a.m., and 10-10:45 a.m. for the Youth Programs class. Session 2 begins June 17, session 3 on July 8 and session 4 on July 22. In addition, a parent/child class is taught at the 11 a.m. class time only for children 6 months to 3 years old.
The first class at JBSA-Lackland starts June 11; registration for that class is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 3 at Outdoor Recreation, building 871. Registration for future classes take place every following two weeks at the Skylark Pool. Each class has eight 40-minute lessons from Tuesday-Friday every two weeks throughout the summer. Classes are for ages 3 and older.
At JBSA-Randolph, swim lesson registration begins at 9 a.m. May 21 in the Community Services Mall. Lessons are held Monday-Thursday mornings for two weeks at the South Pool; the first class is June 17.
Open to individuals and teams, triathlons will be a highlight of the summer at the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Aquatic Center.
The first triathlon, which will begin at 7 a.m. June 9, consists of a 200-meter swim, 5-mile bike ride and 1-mile run. Registration deadline is June 5.
The second triathlon, with a registration deadline of July 10, begins at 7 a.m. July 14 and features a 300-meter swim, 10-mile bike ride and 2-mile run.
The third triathlon is set for 7 a.m. Aug. 11; it consists of a 400-meter swim, 15-mile bike ride and 3-mile run. Registration deadline is Aug. 7.
“The triathlons are awesome,” said Dave Waugh, JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Aquatic Center manager. “They’re progressive in nature. After the first triathlon, participants will have a month to build up to the second triathlon and then another month to prepare for the third triathlon.”
A fourth triathlon is scheduled at 7:30 a.m. Sept. 8. It’s a “reverse” triathlon that starts with a 3-mile run and continues with a 10-mile bike ride and 200-meter swim.
Entry fee for the triathlons is $20. Individuals and teams are responsible for their own bikes.
JBSA-Lackland features water aerobics at a cost of $3 per session from 5-6 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at the Skylark Aquatic Center, and volleyball night from 7:30-10 p.m. Thursdays starting June 13 and ending Aug. 1 at the Warhawk Pool.
Swimmers 18 years old and younger who are at level four and up may also join the youth swim team, which meets from 6-7 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Skylark Aquatic Center beginning May 20 and ending in early August. A successful swim test is required for placement on the team, and the monthly fee is $65 per member.
JBSA-Lackland will also feature a dive-in family movie night every Tuesday beginning June 11. Doors open at the Warhawk Pool at 8 p.m.; the movie begins at 8:30 p.m.
For more information, call JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, 210-221-4887; JBSA-Lackland, 210-671-3780; or JBSA-Randolph, 210-652-5142, option 2.