Dive-In movie blows away low expectations

By DEBORAH NGANGA

The University of Mary Washington’s Dive-In Movie event, put on by Campus Recreation in the Goolrick Pool, received a high turnout this past Friday. I went into the event expecting to see a small amount of people, with most of them sitting in the bleachers and maybe three to five in the water, but it turned out to be the opposite of my expectation. Many students were eager to get out of their winter clothes and take a dip in the pool.

Campus Recreation projected “Pirates of the Caribbean” directly across from the bleachers and invited all UMW students to watch the movie for free. They were also encouraged to bring a friend with them. As mentioned before, students had the option to either sit in the bleachers or float in the pool with the floaties that were provided by Campus Rec.

About an hour into “Pirates of the Caribbean,” a lot of the students started getting out of the water. A few of them complained of the water being too cold, and the majority of the swimmers decided to finish off the rest of the movie in the bleachers with warm clothes on.

At the end, I asked a fellow UMW student, Chris Russotti, who attended the event with his girlfriend, how he enjoyed the dive-in movie. He said, “The screen was bigger last year and they should take the lanes out of the pool, but other than that I enjoyed the atmosphere and had fun.”

As I was walking back to my dorm after the movie and reflecting on the recent event, I came to the realization that the Dive-In Movie could make a great date for couples. I had noticed a good number of couples kissing and floating together in the pool, but I didn’t realize just how good of a date idea that was until later. Most university couples sit and watch movies together in their dorms anyway, so why not change the location from a room to a pool?

So, to all the UMW students who are in a relationship and looking for a free but fun date idea, make sure to not miss out on the next Dive-In Movie event.  Depending on what movie is shown, the atmosphere of watching a movie in the dark and in a pool can give off a somewhat romantic vibe.

I usually spend my Friday nights watching movies anyways and I appreciated the change in setting. The movie started at 6 p.m., right around dinner time, so I would recommend either eating before the movie or bringing food along. But if you’re single or in a relationship, with a friend or without, attending the Dive-In Movie event at the Goolrick Pool is a different, fun way to spend your Friday night.

Make sure to stay updated with Campus Recreation’s special events by checking out their website at  http://students.umw.edu/campusrec/.