Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Staff at Worland Aquatic Center (L-r) Pool Operator Lisa Vega, Social Media Coordinator Amy Vega, Director David Villa, Swim Instructor Ashanti Moreno, and Finance/Maintenance Manager Robin Brown.
A recent addition to the Worland Aquatic Center, there's now a climbing wall in the diving pool at the center. Lisa Vega said swimmers like to climb up to the top, jump to reach as high as they can and fall back down into the water. She added that the center is seeking funding to add another section to the wall.
The water therapy room at the Worland Aquatic Center, photographed on Jan. 6. It holds equipment for a wide variety of exercises for physical rehabilitation, including a rack full of new equipment at the back. Not pictured is a lift chair that can be used for persons with limited mobility to get in and out of the water.
Women participate in a hydro-aerobics class at the Worland Aquatic Center on Jan. 6. This guided activity is offered Monday-Friday, and it's one of several that the center offers to the public.
If you ask most locals about the Worland Aquatic Center (WAC), it's common to hear it's just a swimming pool; but staff at the center are working hard to show the public that it is much more than that, and they have a lot to offer in 2025.
The WAC offers a lap pool kept at 80-81 degrees, an activity pool kept at 87-88 degrees, a spa kept at 101-102 degrees and a therapy pool kept at 92-93 degrees. The activity pool has a volleyball net, there's a wading pool for young children to play in equipped with a water bucket tower, and there's a large, twisting water slide. Large inflatable pool toys like inner tubes and a see-saw are suitable to play with in the deep end, which also features a diving board and a climbing wall. All of this is available for the public to use.
WAC Director David Villa said, "In the past we used to be open, for example, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, at 5:15 a.m., and the other two weekdays we'd open up at 8 a.m. Now, we're open Monday through Friday every morning at 5:30. Then we used to close from 2 to 4 p.m. during swim season for practice, and now we're open up basically all day long. We've also extended Saturdays, where formerly we were closed, or open from 1 to 5 p.m., but now we're open up from noon to 5 p.m."
During scheduled practices, the WAC will close four or five lanes to be used by the activity swimmers. The center provides a place to practice for middle school and high school swim teams in Worland and Ten Sleep, USA swimming and provides swimming lessons through Washakie County school districts. Formerly the center hosted the lessons taught by a school instructor, but this year WAC staff have taken on the education side of things as well.
Villa said, "Over the years, we've been transitioning to take over teaching swim lessons for the school district, and so this is our first year taking over that, and that's gone very well. Lisa [Vega] is in charge of that, and she has her staff that assist her with that."
Vega added, "Another thing we're going to start doing is adaptive swim lessons. A couple of us are being trained. We have over 200 physically or mentally challenged children in our school district, and we'll be teaching specialized classes to meet their needs and get them comfortable in the water."
Swim instructor Ashanti Moreno assists Vega in her lessons, as well as teaching her own on Saturdays. She said, "I lead both adult swim lessons, where we focus on improving our clients' swimming skills and helping them enhance their techniques, and competitive swim lessons where we teach children rules and regulations of swim meets as well as swimming techniques."
She added, "One of the exciting new offerings at the Worland Aquatic Center is our twice-monthly swim clinics. These Saturday clinics include adult lessons for all skill levels, whether you're a beginner or looking at perfecting your swim skills, and competitive lessons for those participating in USA swimming who want to enhance their performance. Additionally, we will offer cold water safety and boat safety courses for those who enjoy boating, fishing or relaxing by the water."
When Vega isn't busy with swim lessons, she is working to ensure that her workplace has something to offer for everyone. As WAC pool operator, Vega said, "We're trying to kind of turn the corner from just an aquatic center. People tend to just think about this place as a swimming pool, but we're working to be an aquatic wellness center. There are lots of exercises you can do in and out of the water here."
Vega began by mentioning hydro-aerobics, a longtime staple at the WAC. This activity is offered Monday through Friday at the center, and participants engage in a variety of low-intensity exercises geared toward an older demographic.
She said that this year, the WAC will be implementing deep water fitness, a higher-intensity version of hydro-aerobics suitable for younger people who are comfortable with demanding exercise in deep water.
The center also offers aquatic therapy in a room equipped with all kinds of weights and floats, a pool kept around 92 degrees, and a chair lift to aid those with limited mobility in entering/exiting the pool. People are commonly referred here by a health care provider to engage in therapy with the help of a physical therapist, but Vega said anyone can make use of the therapy pool for their own wellness program.
Outside of the water, the WAC offers yoga mats and other equipment to exercise in a calm space, and Vega said that the outer track of the main room is a nice way to walk for exercise indoors. 11 laps around this track is one mile, she said.
The center also offers training for lifeguarding, CPR and first aid that anyone can sign up for.
The WAC is also a popular venue for events, and not just for swimming. Villa said, "There's also movie nights and other things where we're working with churches and working with just different entities. We're doing some new stuff to draw in that public interest, and so those are things that we're putting into place.
He added, "I feel like we have a strong staff, and strong programs that we're continuing and implementing each year."
The WAC's flagship new program for 2025 is Quarterly Wellness Workouts, events that will last three months and will give participants a chance to complete challenges made famous by historic athletes. The first will take place from Jan. 2 until March 31, based on swimmer Florence Chadwick-famous for being the first to swim across the English Channel and back - a distance of 46 miles - which she accomplished in just under 14 hours in 1955. Entrants will be challenged to repeat her journey by recording their distance over the duration of the competition, and Villa said those who complete it will earn a T-shirt that says, "I swam the English Channel at the Worland Aquatic Center."
GET INVOLVED
Social Media Coordinator Amy Vega has ensured the community has an easy way to find out more information about everything the WAC has to offer. She said, "By downloading the 'Washakie1' app and selecting the Worland Aquatic Center, the community can receive notifications via text, email, app notice, or calls about important information and fun news! Check out our monthly calendar to see schedules for elementary lessons, hydro-aerobics, events, holiday hours, swim meets and much more. You can also find information on swim sports calendars, prices, hours, swim practices, birthday party details and more."
You can find the WAC on the following platforms:
Facebook: Worland Aquatic Center. Instagram: Worland_aquatic_center12. X: WACest2012.
Amy Vega said, "While Facebook is our primary platform for events, closing days, reminders and more, we are actively building our Instagram and [social platform] X accounts. On Instagram, we will be posting videos and photos of people enjoying our events. We encourage the community to tag us in their fun videos and photos when they visit. X will be used for quick updates and reminders about upcoming events and pool closures."
