Canadian national women's water polo athlete Kyra Christmas, 23, seen here at her home in Airdrie, Alberta on May 9, 2020, prepares to train in a makeshift pool in her parents' backyard. The pool is constructed of straw bales. "It's definitely my first time training in a pool with straw in," she said.Leah Hennel/The Globe and Mail
The Christmas family came up with the idea to build a pool out of straw bales because Kyra and her water polo teammates were unable to train at pools closed down due to COVID-19 restrictions.Leah Hennel/The Globe and Mail
"All of the pools got shut down because of Covid, so our team is scattered all over the country just trying to find ways to train, so we came up with the idea of trying to build a pool," Ms. Christmas said.Leah Hennel/The Globe and Mail
The outdoor pool where Kyra trains is 16 feet long, eight feet wide and six feet deep, on her parents' farm just southeast of Airdrie in Rockyview, Alberta.Leah Hennel/The Globe and Mail
Canadian national women's water polo athlete Kyra Christmas, 23, built a pool of straw bales in her family's backyard in Alberta. While pools and gyms stay closed through the COVID-19 pandemic, athletes like Kyra have to find innovative ways to train.
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