Bower Hill Swim Club celebrates 50 years of operation
Alex Hardwick instructs Kate Borza in the proper stroke technique for the freestyle. The recent Upper St. Clair graduate, who will swim for Emory University, has been the Bower Hill Swim Club’s head coach for four years and a lifeguard for two seasons. In addition to offering private and group lessons, the Bower Hill Swim Club, in its 50th season, sponsors an array of activities and special events for members.
Spectators ring the pool and cheer on competitors during a recent meet at the Bower Hill Swim Club. Situated on five acres of land in Scott Township, the club celebrates 50 years this summer.
Nestled in a neighborhood dale off Bower Hill Road, near Vanadium Road, sits a summer jewel … the Bower Hill Swim Club. Despite competition from large community pools and recreation centers, the five-acre complex thrives. In fact, this summer, the Scott Township facility celebrates 50 years of operation.
“It’s a great pool like anywhere else trying to make it,” said Tom Donati. The Mt. Lebanon swim coach is not just a board member – he has helped with the swim team for three years, and he also runs clinics and ‘just makes it work.’
Bower Hill Swim Club works for many reasons, the least of which is proximity.
“The pool is in a good location. It’s in the heart of the community,” said Alex Harwick, who has worked as a coach and guard at the club for four years. “It’s a nice pool and a lot of the members have been here for a long time. They stay involved. They are proud of the facility. It’s well-kept and [the club] offers a lot of activities.”
In addition to Jo Riggs (see related story), the Pallone and Hamm families are long-time members of the club.
The Pallone clan, whose home abutted the complex, is in its third-generation of using the facilities, which include the heated main pool, baby pool, water slide, volleyball pit, tether ball, playground, beach chairs and concessions. A member since 1974, Lou Pallone ran the concession stand for years and eventually served as president of the board of directors for 11 years. He and his wife, Jay, had three girls that worked as guards during their teen years. One daughter, Megan, currently serves on the board and remains a club member with her husband, Larry Conti.
The Hamms are another three-generation family at Bower Hill. When Consolidation Coal decided to centralize its public relations staff, Herk and Jeanie Hamm transferred to Pittsburgh 38 years ago. They had chosen Upper St. Clair for their home and subsequently, Consol moved two blocks away to the corner of Route 19 and Fort Couch Road.
Jeanie Hamm says the family learned about the pool in much the same fashion the club gains new members – from other parents. She served on the board for six years and was the membership secretary. Today, she oversees the water aerobics program and is the chairperson of marketing for the club.
Although her son, Chas, an attorney, lives in Fort Worth, Texas, Hamm remains active in the club because of her grandchildren. Her daughter, Erin, a Montessori teacher, enrolled her 6-year-old, Hailey Thomas, in the swim club, and her 1-year-old, Nicholas, in the ‘Mommy and Me’ class offered at Bower Hill. Nicholas has been acclimated to the water for eight months.
One of the main reasons Hamm and her family maintain membership in the club is because of its family-friendly atmosphere. “The environment that exists at the pool is homey and safe,” she said. “I would never consider allowing a child to go alone into a locker room at one of the local township pools. At Bower Hill Swim Club, this has never been a concern. Parents encourage and watch out for the children of other members.”
That sense of camaraderie abounds, agree Hardwick and Kathy Pattak, a former teacher in the Mt. Lebanon School District, because the members own the pool. Normal rates are a one-time $450 bond and $50 application fee. Annual dues are $550 for families. There are lower fees for singles, seniors and teens. Discounts are available halfway through the season and for those who provide pre-payment.
The club offers a variety of water classes from aerobics to Zumba and lessons, both private and group instruction. In addition to adult lap swimming and swim club competition, there are specialty events such as pool parties, family, teen and raft nights.
“Really, [Bower Hill] is a kids’ pool and a great place for families,” said Pattack, who is a board member. “There is land to run around here, to play sand volleyball, tether ball, and to swim. It’s a great, great facility.
“What I love best about it is that the kids may not all go to the same schools but in the summer when they swim here at this pool, they become friends,” Pattack continued. “Since the guards come back year after year, the kids and the members know them too. It’s a neat relationship that develops, particularly with participation on the swim team.”
Harwick concurred that the swim team builds companionship and emphasized that since all are welcome, all get along. He notes that if only 10 kids are in the pool, they all play the game together and get along.
“[Bower Hill] is nice, a close-knit group. It’s not like at other bigger pools with people all running around in different directions doing their own thing and not paying attention to anybody but themselves and their little group.
“What I really like about it and the swim team is that you can make friends from other communities that later on down the road they may compete against in swimming or basketball or another sport. Here the members build friendships. They can go from barely knowing one another to building long-lasting relationships.”
Participating on the club’s swim team provides other plusses. According to Donati, for most of the children, it gives them a ‘good perspective’ on swimming. “Is it the Olympics?” he asked. “No,” he answered, “but the kids think it is and they enjoy it.”
Since his competitive days with the Bethel Park Recreation Swim Club, Donati has enjoyed swimming. He swam for Bethel Park High School and Westminster College before embarking on his coaching career. He has spent years at Seneca Valley and Upper St. Clair before settling into his positions at Mt. Lebanon High School and with the Mt. Lebanon Aqua Club. A board member, Donati oversees the Bower Hill Swim Club.
“From a selfish perspective, I love it because I could maybe find the next Katie Ford, Meghan Schilken or Drew Damich here,” he said of his All-Americans, two of whom will swim at Division I colleges next fall.
For most of the children, Donati says, the Bower Hill Swim Club gives them a good perspective on swimming. “It introduces them to a sport that we all love,” he said. “Hopefully, they will love it too.”
Sue Wilhelm of Upper St. Clair can’t imagine how anybody could not love the Bower Hill Swim Club. “It’s such a nice pool, a special place,” said Wilhelm, who has been at the facility for four years as an aerobics teacher, learn-to-swim instructor and stroke clinician. “It’s a blast. If you want to get active, this is the place to be.”
EDITOR’s NOTE: Refer to BowerHillPool.com or email membership@bowerhillpool.com for more details on the club.