On one Wednesday evening a month from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., the pool at the SDC is open for MTU students to use a special piece of equipment, called the WIBIT. It is an inflatable obstacle course for use in a pool, with many different pieces that can be attached and detached in order to create new and exciting formations. The date for the January occasion was Jan. 25, with many students in attendance.
The WIBIT owned by MTU has six different pieces that can be joined together. There are three that are seen in every formation, and three that get changed out. Those that can be seen in every iteration thus far at MTU are “The Step,” which is the piece that is used to get up onto the course. “The Cliff,” which is a slope that must be navigated using handles, and “The Slope,” which is a six-foot wall that must be climbed using handles, and then a slide on the other side to end the course. The pieces that get switched out are “The Base,” which is a flat horizontal piece that must be crossed, “The Bridge,” which is an arched structure that must be scaled without falling through, and “The V-Connect,” which is a horizontal inflatable with limited foot space that must be navigated. On January 25, the pieces in order from beginning to end were as follows: The Step, The Base, The Cliff, and The Slope.
When asked what her favorite piece to watch people on was, Aquatics Manager Annie Bengry said, “Probably ‘The Slope’ because you can see the success at the end.” Bengry went on to talk more about other occasions that the WIBIT is used, rather than just on these monthly Wednesday nights. She explained that they were also used for summer camps hosted by MTU, to give campers another choice of activity. There are also Saturday Splashes, which are similar to the WIBIT Wednesdays, except on Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. instead.
Bengry went on to say more about the reasoning behind the purchase of the WIBIT. “We wanted to introduce something new to the pool, something that would bring up new people,” she stated. When asked if she thought it was successful, she confirmed that she did.
In the end, Bengry stated that she “hoped it could be used for rentals” in the future, but that is not a concern for this point of time. She thinks that WIBIT Wednesdays and Saturday Splashes have been successful, and hopes that it continues to be.
