On Saturday, March 25, the Elizabethtown College Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-being staff member Elizabeth Brown went to open the facility. As she began her journey from South Hackman Apartments, Brown walked her typical route to work: a straight shot taking her behind the bleachers overlooking Wolfe Field. As she rounded the corner, turning to enter through the facility’s main entrance, Brown felt something unpleasant—she looked down and saw her black Nike sneakers completely soaked in an unwelcome pool of water.
“This is not what I needed to wake up to,” was Brown’s first reaction to the event.
Brown stood in between the two sets of doors, not willing to fully enter the Bowers Center. Brown gazed inside the facility and noted that the water covered the welcome desk.
Brown slowly exited the building and immediately contacted maintenance. The crew rushed to the facility and prompted Brown with questions.
“I just got here, and I don’t know what happened—this is not in my job description,” Brown said in response.
The maintenance crew entered the Bowers Center, using all their strength to close the doors behind them. They trudged through the still waters, attempting to find the source of the flood.
Brown remained standing outside the facility. When asked what she noticed through the Bowers Center’s windows, Brown said, “The maintenance crew looked tired, too. They were in their rainboots and sloshing through the water. They looked at each other like, ‘Well, what are we supposed to do about this?’”
Eventually, Etown President Betty Rider arrived to discuss a solution. The decision was to allow the water to remain in the facility for the time being. Instead of removing the water, the College voted for it to be utilized as a swimming pool in celebration of the recent warm weather.
Though Brown was excited to go swimming, she was surprised by the outcome. “I can’t wait to go swimming, even though there’s already a pool on campus…we’re just going to ignore that.”
Brown assumed she would be in a new role when asked if this situation affected her position at the Bowers Center. “I guess I will return as a lifeguard—only if I get paid more, though.”
To promote physical and mental wellness, Etown is providing various floaties and water-based activities and classes for students. Inner tubes and rafts are available at the equipment desk for students to rent, as well as beach volleyballs and diving rings.
Brown stated that she and her friends are enjoying this outcome. “It’s nice because my friends and I can rent out the pool to have a pool party.”
Currently, this mishap has encouraged Etown students to utilize the Bowers Center more frequently than before. Plans to clear the facility of the water have not been mentioned due to its overwhelming success.
