Five Towners dive in at North Woodmere Park pools

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From the Olympic-sized pool to the trio of pools for children, lounging, playing and swimming were the activities that only Nassau County residents, many from the Five Towns, took part in at North Woodmere Park on July 3, the first day the six county pools were open for the summer and during the coronavirus pandemic.

There were rules such as six-feet of social distancing in and out of the pools, unless from the same household, showering before entering the pool, wearing a mask walking around the pool deck and a few others. Plenty of hand sanitizer was available at the pool entrance and exit.

On a hot Friday as the sun moved in and out of the clouds, Alice Cascardi, from Lawrence, and friend Roberta Confino, of North Woodmere, waded in the shallow end of the large pool. “We come all the time,” said Cascardi, who described the pair as regulars at the county park pool. “I like what they are doing and I feel safe.”

Cascardi said she and Confino got to the park around 11 a.m., when the park opened and there was already a line to enter the pool area and at the administration building to buy memberships and the county’s Leisure Pass to receive the resident rate and discounts. In the pool, Confino said: “The water is great. Takes getting used to. It’s cold, but beautiful.”

Over by the children’s pools, which includes an interactive water-play area, a training pool and a wading pool, families watched over the kids and families and friends sat and talked. A few fathers, including Ross Goldberg, a Woodmere resident, noted how important it is to get the children out of the house, off all their electronic devices and let them play outside.

“Kids need to get outdoors for their health and socialization,” Goldberg said about children. He had three of his four kids, 9, 6 and 4 at the pool. The 14-year-old was home. “Kids need this,” he said, adding that they will continue coming to the pool as long as it is “safe for the children to do so.”

Yosef Kopel, a 9-year-old from Cedarhurst, summed it up for his peers. “I’m here to go to the pool, get of the house, swim and have fun.”