2022 IAQ Spokesperson Rowdy Gaines

For good IAQ, facility managers need to consider operating conditions and patron expectations.

The natatorium experience for a patron should be no different than in any other room in a building. A natatorium should be comfortable, healthy and have good air quality. When designing one, the first recommended step for the designers is to meet with the facility owners to discuss the desired operating conditions and expectations. Only once the operating conditions and expectations are defined can the designer effectively calculate loads and address all the key design aspects.

Check out Chapter Four “Indoor Air Quality” of the Natatorium Design Guide to learn more about creating good indoor air quality: Read more

Poor IAQ is the bane of competitive swimming and the indoor pool industry.

In competition pools, every time a swimmer comes up for air, you want to ensure the air they’re inhaling is high-quality, clean air. Exposure to poor indoor air quality can make swimmers sick. Temperature and relative humidity play a critical role in human comfort levels and have a direct effect on swimmers’ health.

Check out Chapter Two “Health, Safety, and Comfort” of the Natatorium Design Guide to learn more. Read more

Swimming’s Greatest Ambassador for IAQ

Good IAQ is as important for parents and other supporters as it is for swimmers.

Parents of swimmers spend almost as much time at the pool as their kids. Attending swim meets, parents, other family members and friends need to be comfortable. Good IAQ is critical in achieving a comfortable, healthy environment for spectators. If there is a dedicated spectator gallery of a suitable size, there could be an opportunity to create a separate microclimate for them during swim meets using a dedicated spectator HVAC unit. A dedicated HVAC unit can deliver the extra outdoor air needed to this area during the meet while also providing a slightly different (usually cooler) space condition that is more comfortable for the spectators. The introduction of outdoor air is essential to maintaining good air quality. Read more

Swimming’s Greatest Ambassador for IAQ

We first introduced Rowdy Gaines, 3x Olympic gold medalist, as our official 2022 IAQ spokesperson in January but just scratched the surface on what exactly makes him the best spokesperson for our #MakeChangeIAQ initiative. Today, we are going to go into greater detail on Rowdy – the athlete, the voice of swimming, the philanthropist and the indoor air quality (IAQ) advocate. Read More

The single most important focus of the HVAC design is to provide adequate supply air down into the breathing zone (at the deck level and water surface). The supply air from the HVAC system has been conditioned and filtered with outdoor air blended in. When supply air is delivered down into the breathing zone, swimmers, coaches and volunteers will enjoy the best possible air quality. Read More

Supplying air to the breathing zone is critical for not only swimmers but also coaches.

Rowdy Gaines discusses the importance of good IAQ

Bob Phillips interview Rowdy Gaines to discuss IAQ insights. Gaines, well versed in IAQ and deeply connected to the communities that use indoor pools, will work with PoolPak not only to change the way people think about the indoor pool environment but also to inform their understanding of how our equipment contributes to better IAQ.

There is no “one thing” that will ensure good IAQ for swimmers.

But there is one thing for sure: swimmers in practice need air flow in the breathing zone, including across the water surface. Ever walk into a swimming facility during a swim practice and immediately smell the pool or feel humidity in the air? These are signs of poor IAQ.

There are so many factors that impact IAQ and need to be considered when designing an indoor pool, such as relative humidity levels, condensation, air temperature, pool water temperature, pool activity levels, swimmer behavior, air distribution, outdoor air, exhaust air, pool water treatment and chloramine control (to name a few). Read more

PoolPak teams up with “Swimming’s Greatest Ambassador” Rowdy Gaines to deliver IAQ message

Rowdy Gaines, three-time Olympic gold medalist and the voice of Olympic swimming, will be the official 2022 IAQ spokesperson for PoolPak. Rowdy will help us to achieve the mission to help engineers, contractors and owners create the optimal indoor pool environment for the communities they serve.

With Rowdy Gaines as our spokesperson, we will change how people think about the indoor pool environment and how our equipment contributes to better IAQ. Swimmers, coaches, parents, volunteers and managers of swimming facilities will gain a better understanding of the importance of good IAQ. This initiative aligns with Madison Industries’ mission to make the world safer, healthier and more productive.

There is no better person to help us educate these communities than Rowdy Gaines, who is well versed in IAQ and has worked with various pool-related products and brands. Rowdy, known as the fastest swimmer on the planet throughout the 1980s, is a U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame member and member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. He is a swimming analyst for television network NBC and has been broadcasting on the sport, covering swimming at the Olympic Games, since 1992.

Throughout 2022, PoolPak and Rowdy will work together to ensure that the IAQ message reaches and resonates with a wider audience.

For those of you who are active on social media, we encourage you to follow us on LinkedIn and share new content from Rowdy as it is posted.