Poolman, reading that made my teeth hurt! Working in the cold all day or even for several hours with fingers too stiff to bend
does really suc. Been there, done that. Even in high school in PWC, trying to play in the band at away football games on Friday nights.
, as well in my slightly older working years (icy rain without waterproof gloves, try to hold a pencil to write on a wet sheet of paper anyone? Picking up rocks in a fall/winter stream to measure? It's really not fun.
However, they DO have actual field gear made for that situation these days. Try searching on
"neoprene gloves" and see what possibilities are out there for your poor cold finners these days. You might be able to start doing a little better than just enduring the pain.
I probably swam in some of those pools you close out these days when I was in high school, we used to have late night pool parties, at friends or neighbors there in PW. They were FUN!