Inflatable Skate Park

I took two of my young grandsons to the Leisure Centre for a swim during the week. In the large pool it had what one of the boys described as an 'inflatable skate park'. I thought he said a 'steak park' but on close observation I could see why he called it the former. It just looked like a rubber assault course to me - balanced on water of course. Whatever it looked like or whatever it was called it was great fun. I have to point out here it was great fun for me as an observer rather than a participator. At first I was a bit reluctant to let the 6 year old go on it as most of the those using it were much larger, but I couldn't really see it presenting any real dangers. There were plenty of staff supervising, so I let both boys go on. The downside was that they had to join a very large queue, but staff were ensuring that users of the inflatable were monitored carefully to travel the length of it one at a time

My doubts about the 6 year old's use of the inflatable were unfounded. Both he and his 9 year brother are quite agile and two of the thinnest boys in the school I should think. After one travelled across it in record time without a ducking, the other followed suit. I was dying to have a go, but I would not only have been the oldest but also the fattest user of the 'skate park'. Not only that, it struck me that size is everything. Inflatable posts are not the best to hold onto when you are trying to get over the 'ramps' (especially when pool-side staff are throwing buckets of water at you) so the less weight they have to support the better. It seemed to be the larger users were the ones most likely to take a dip. If I had got on there, the whole contraption would probably have taken a 360 degree turn and I didn't want parents complaining that I'd spoilt it for their kids. Even without my help it did start to deflate at one point (I tried not to think what it reminded me of).

I'll say this though. If there had been no one else in the pool other than a couple of lifeguards to rescue me, I'd have been on there like a shot. And if I had one in a private pool, I'd be much fitter. Bye everyone, I'm off to the steak park.