In Columbia, some swim against the tide

By Laura Cadiz
10-22-02

Annette Kuperman takes a swim in their Endless Pool she and her husband installed at their home in Long Reach.

When the Kupermans moved to Columbia six years ago, they looked into getting a membership at the Columbia Association's outdoor pools. But, they said, they were turned off by the cost.

When Kuperman heard the association's prices, she thought, "My God, this is ridiculous."

Four years ago, the Kupermans installed a swimming pool from the Endless Pools company in their Long Reach home. It is not a traditional swimming pool - it is 7 feet wide and 14 feet long, and is 4.5 feet deep at it's greatest depth. When used with adjustable current machine, it provides an aerobic workout.

It gives Kuperman what she wanted most: the ability to swim whenever she wants in the privacy of her own home.

She is not restricted by the association's outdoor pool hours or season, which runs from May to September.

"I can swim year around," said Kuperman, a teacher at Clarksville Middle School. "I can go in at midnight in December, I can go in at 2 in the morning if I feel like it."

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