Will miss pool

You can’t tell by looking at me, but trapped inside my 51-year-old frame is a magnificent aquatic athlete dying to break the surly bonds of my less than (far less than) perfect swimmer’s body.
This was the year — this was the summer, the summer of 2007 — that would bring me closer to the dream. But no, the dream has been dashed, shattered, my inner Spitz heartbroken.
The letter from the YMCA of Kansas City notified me that the Red Bridge outdoor pool would not reopen this year, after 54 glorious summers, due to safety concerns brought to the YMCA’s attention by a certified pool expert.
The salve? My inner Spitz can look forward to a new outdoor spray park in 2008.
I have just over a year before the summer games in Beijing. I’ll need more than a spray park to train in.
Seriously, please YMCA, try to save or rebuild the outdoor pool. It means so much to so many. Even if it takes several years to redo, it’ll be worth it for our kids.
Richard Bradford
Kansas City