Sholem Aquatic Center — Attraction in Champaign

Refreshing! As a visiting YMCA Lifeguard from another state, I am incredibly impressed with the Lifeguards and Staff of this Aquatic Center! Seeing the active scanning and zone management system being put to work is a refreshing experience. Guards are quick to stop patrons from participating in dangerous situations, in a calm yet effective manner. It's great to see the Guards rotate positions, especially on the Rapids(lazy river); in fact the four that where positioned during my float, moved at least twice to keep them moving and actively scanning. Seeing this rotation means to me that the management of this Center not only cares about the patrons, but their own staff! The pool itself is clean and well maintained, especially for an outdoor pool! Locations are easily marked with rules and regulations for safety and fun. Even though there are only three slides, they are good fun and the pool is spacious even with a large crowd. The locker rooms are some of the CLEANEST I have ever seen in public! This is a great family center with plenty of toddler and pre-teen areas as well as a lap pool! Prices for entry, as well as concessions, are incredibly reasonable! I know I already said a lot about the Lifeguards and Staff, but it is great to see a well maintained safety crew!! Backboards and First Aid/AED are in easy to get to places, in fact the Rapids(lazy river) had at least three Backboards around the waterway! I, as a Lifeguard, felt incredibly comfortable being at this center. During my visit, the Lifeguards even preformed a drill! For those that don't know what a drill is, it is an organized practice of the Safety Protocol! The drill happened in the Rapids(lazy river) and the Lifeguards were incredibly swift, and I was completely in awe. This team definitely has the professionalism and confidence that truly is required for this job! To see that they are Internationally recognized as maintained Safety Team, FOR ELEVEN YEARS IN A ROW! Heck, that's amazing, and I can see the dedication and care on each of these Lifeguards' faces. A real save was even done during my visit, and again quick action, this team is THE example of Best Practices!!! Again, one word, refreshing! Definitely will come again when given the chance! 10/10 100% Awesome, Friendly Lifeguards that know and stick...

My first and last time visiting this pool. You're basically paying $9 a person to take a standing bath. My brother and sister (12 and 13) were in the pool a total of two minutes when my brother gently splashed my sister poking fun about the water being cold. No water was splashed onto any other patrons. A lifeguard blew her whistle and yelled about the splashing but my brother and sister weren't aware she was blowing it at them and didn't hear what she said. My sister splashed my brother in the same fashion and she yells at them in a VERY rude and hateful fashion "I just told you not to splash!!". I continued to watch this lifeguard and I don't think she took the whistle out of her mouth more than two times and she continued to yell at children hatefully, including younger children. This is a family friendly pool with a lot of children. I wouldn't allow someone to talk to a child like that at a daycare, why should it be acceptable...

We have gone to Sholem all my life (40 years). When they made the new facility everything changed. It's like being in a prison. You can stand in the water and move around. That's it. The staff are like robots. Basically the concessions staff are the only personable ones. They are hardly open anymore and don't use staffing as an issue. Chrystal Lake stays open until Labor Day as Sholem use to. You have evening hours during the week and normal on weekends. Its a racket. The cost is absurd. The other day they closed early because it was too hot. 1st off they closed at 4 when it's getting to be the least hot of the day. 2nd off the pool is huge for families that need to stay cool. 3rd YOU ARE AT A POOL. Rotate so the lifeguards can get a dunk. Do you think any construction workers get to leave early due to heat. It's ludicrous. This isn't the same, it's disappointing at best. Go to Chrystal Lake, don't waste your...