The SOC HOP stories

Do you remember doing The Swim at The SOC HOP? There were actually two versions. One was done inside on the dance floor and required the participants to move their arms and pretend they were swimming. The other version was done outside in one of The SOC HOP’s two large swimming pools and required the participants to move their arms and actually swim. While many people remember The SOC HOP as a place to go at night to listen to music and dance, as you can tell by the picture below, there are a lot of people who remember it as the place where they went on a hot summer’s day to cool off in one of the two pools. The pool complex had a rectangular pool with a diving board and a 8-shaped pool which was shallow on both ends and deep in the middle. There was also a children’s play pool, lots of concrete decking, a four room cabana, a locker room with showers, and a basket room to store your street clothes. Both individual and family memberships were available and you got both an ID membership card and a patch to sew onto you swim suit. Ralph Pusey was the head lifeguard. When this photo was taken, it was to get a picture of my cousin Penny, (Ed Bowers daughter) and lifeguard Scott. They are in the right foreground and Penny has on a plaid swimsuit. Penny spent a lot of time working at the pools, but unfortunately for her, she had to stay home in the evenings to babysit her younger siblings, while everyone else was doing the swim on the dance floor. I always felt bad for her for that - she missed a lot of fun. I have recently reconnected with Penny - she is still a nurse and lives in Colorado

# posted by Michael Weaver @ 8:30 AM