LIV I SOGN 2005

Lewis sin visjon for Sognefjorden og Leikanger
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19.07.2005  Lewis sin visjon for Sognefjorden og Leikanger
35b Marmion Road
Oranjezicht
8001
Cape Town
South Africa

19 July 2005


Dear All

AQUATIC SPORTS IN SOGNEFJORD

I hope you are well and enjoying the summer.

It was wonderful to meet you last week.  Thank you for supporting me during my swim down Nærøyfjord.

I have had a lot of time to think about how we can develop aquatic sports in Sognefjord.  There is so much enthusiasm and talent in the area.  We need to use it.   I therefore thought it might be useful if I set out a few ideas.  The aim of this letter is to generate thought and discussion.  Let's talk.  Let's get a collective vision for the future.



ROCKS FOR THE FUTURE

The spare rocks from the tunnel provide us with an ideal means to achieve our vision.  Let's try and secure an outdoor pool in Leikanger.  

Many different groups will want to use the rocks.  Let's be the first group to offer a proposal to Leikanger on how they should be used.  

These rocks are the future for aquatic sports in Sognefjord!  Let's not miss this golden opportunity to make a difference and provide a unique and exceptional facility for future generations.  Most importantly, let's achieve this in Norway's 100th year!  


VISION

If we are going to develop aquatic sports in Sognefjord, we need to build an outdoor swimming pool with facilities.  That's the bottom line.  

I have watched many children swim in Sognefjord - from Aurland to Lavik.  The love it!  But I have noticed that while they are comfortable swimming close to the edge of the fjord, they are not comfortable swimming further out.  This, in my view, is only a confidence and experience issue.  

We can encourage people to swim, but ultimately we need to provide young children with safe, fun and friendly swimming facilities.  Only then will they become confident and skilled swimmers.
The benefit of building an outdoor pool is clear - we will develop a generation of children who will be healthy, enjoy sport, and who are safe in water.


SCOPE

While in my view the facilities should primarily cater for swimming, I feel they should also provide facilities for all aquatic sports, such as diving, rowing, kayaking and wind surfing.  

It's not possible to swim all year round.  In the autumn and spring people can kayak and wind surf.  These sports compliment swimming and are good for the body and mind.


LET'S GIVE THE FACILITY A NAME

The facility should not be seen as just an outdoor pool.  I hope that it will be the catalyst for the development of sport and water safety in Sognefjord.  It will also be the centre for fjord swimming in Norway.  Let's give it a name!  Here are a few suggestions.  I am sure you can think of more:

The Norwegian Aquatic Centre in Leikanger
The Sognefjord Swimming Club
The Sognefjord Sports Club
The Norwegian Open Water Swimming Centre
The Norwegian Fjord Swimming Centre
The Norwegian Fjord Swimming Academy
The Scandinavian Swimming Centre in Leikanger
NAC (Norwegian Aquatic Centre)
Sognefjord Swimming and Kayaking Centre
SKC (The Swimming and Kayaking Centre)
The Centenary Sports Centre / Club (to mark 100 years of Norwegian independence)
CSC (Centenary Sports Centre)
The Centenary Swimming Pool (CSP)


THE AIMS

In my view, the aims of the facility should be as follows:

To promote water sports in the region
To encourage people to use the fjord for recreation and sport
To promote water safety and ensure that all children are competent swimmers
To provide safe swimming and diving facilities in Sognefjord
To provide kayak facilities in Leikanger
To promote Sognefjord as the centre of fjord swimming in Norway
To provide a comfortable and scenic venue for sunbathing
To have an amphitheatre for open air concerts and functions in the summer


FACILITIES

I spent some time discussing what the facility should include.  I recommend it includes the following:

A small pool  

This would be primarily for children to play in.  Here children can learn to swim and feel comfortable in the fjord.

It should be well protected with large breakwater arms like at Aurland.  Ideally it should have a sandy beach so that children can play and build sand castles.  

Children must be able to walk into the pool as some of them may fear jumping into water.

A main pool

The main pool would be for swimming training.  The aim of this pool would be to provide facilities to develop swimming in the fjord as a sport and to encourage people to take up swimming as a healthy form of exercise.

Ideally it would have swimming lanes.  I recommend that the pool should be exactly 50 meters long - so it is a standard Olympic pool.  It could therefore host competitions, if necessary.  The walls should be smooth so that swimmers can tumble turn on them.  The lane ropes should be able to handle high and low tides.

A diving platform

A diving platform is a huge attraction for children.  It is also a useful tool for developing self confidence and courage.  It should have a few different heights.

A changing room

There should be a changing room for swimmers.  Inside there should be lockers so that people can lock up their clothes and go swimming or kayaking.  The changing rooms could have indoor or outdoor showers.

A boathouse

I have noticed that a number of people in Leikanger have kayaks.  But many of them are locked away in their garages.  We need a boathouse where they can be stored.  If kayaks are close to the water - they will be used!  The boathouse could also store swimming equipment, windsurfers and rowing boats.

A large lawn

Aurland has a beautiful outdoor fjord swimming pool.  It was made out of the rocks from the long tunnel to Lærdal.  The pool is surrounded by a magnificent lawn with nice bushes and flowers.  On a summer's day, many people lie on the grass and enjoy the sun.  Consequently, the swimming pool has become the centre of the town in summer.  

The facilities at Leikanger should be the same.  They should include large grass lawns for people to sun bathe.  I recommend that they are in the form of an amphitheatre and stepped up to the road.  The area can then also be used for open air concerts or other functions in summer.  

In addition, the breakwaters must have lawns.  They should be wide and extend at least 10 meters out to sea.  People will then be able to sun bathe out in the fjord!

Parking facilities

There is a need for adequate parking facilities for cars and bicycles.



ENVIRONMENT

The facilities must not disturb the environment.  They should be minimal and good to the eye.  The aim is to enhance the edge of the fjord and provide facilities for residents to use the fjord for sport and enjoyment.  


 SAFETY

The facilities must obviously be safe.  

Accordingly, the main swimming pool must be deep enough so that if you dive in you do not hit your head on the bottom.  The diving platform must have rails on the back of it, so children can not fall off it.  There must be life rings (the ones sponsored by Vesta) at the facility.  And the pools should be away from boats, which can leak fuel.

ACTION

I think we need to do the following in order to achieve our aims:

Create a sports club, which is officially recognized and affiliated to the Norwegian Swimming Federation.  Otherwise in negotiations for building a swimming pool, the Kommune is only dealing with a group of individuals;

Draft a proposal to the Kommune for building the pool;

Use the publicity surrounding the Sognefjord Swim Festival to announce our plans to the media.  It would be nice if we could get a model of the proposed swimming facilities to show to the media and the public;

Encourage people to support the concept of an outdoor pool;

Encourage as many people as possible to take part, or come and watch, the Sognefjord Swim Festival.  If lots of people turn out, the kommune will see the need for the pool;

If necessary, seek funding from Government and business for the facilities;

Consider introducing free swimming and kayaking lessons in 2006 for children and adults at the pool.  It will not be difficult or expensive to arrange a good swimming coach from the British Long Distance Swimming Association or the Cape Long Distance Swimming Association or the Norwegian Swimming Federation to come to Leikanger for 1 week every July / August to run a Summer Swim Camp.  Children could then be awarded certificates at the end of the course.  The same could be done for kayaking.  

As I said at the beginning of this letter, let's not miss this golden opportunity to make a difference and provide a unique and exceptional facility for future generations.  Let's do something special for the region in Norway's 100th year!  

Let's achieve this dream together.  Other kommune have outdoor pools - Leikanger also deserves one!

With kindest regards




      Lewis Gordon Pugh