I am part of a grass roots group of swimmers who are trying to keep the rebuild of the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Complex on track with the City Commissioners. The final vote will occur on February 3rd.
Recently, an alternative use for the money earmarked for the pool has been embraced by a very vocal part of our community, and if they have their way, there will be no pool at all.
We are going to present our case to the City Commissioners, and one thing I would like to address is how deep and far reaching is the history of swimming in Fort Lauderdale. It would be helpful to share your comments about your own memories and experiences while swimming in Fort Lauderdale, either as a youthful swimmer or a masters swimmer.
Comments will be anonymous, but it would be helpful to our emphasis if you would share your geographic location. Thanks in advance for your help!
Linda Webb
I spent two consecutive winter college training camps at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center with the University of Iowa. Some of my fondest memories from college are at and around the pool. Not only was the pool awesome but location was phenomenal.
I have traveled to Florida as an adult a number of times and chosen Fort Lauderdale as a direct result of the facility. I've been very eager to see its redevelopment and would be very disappointed to see the facility close. I would certainly reconsider my business and personal travel destinations were that to happen.
Wow. With the ISHOF in Fort Lauderdale, you'd think there would be no problem getting funds to update the facility. OTOH, the Aquatic Center is in what looks to the untrained eye like a fairly high rent neighborhood:
www.fortlauderdale.gov/.../ShowImage
I can understand why other (non-swimming) people might want to divert funds to another use and let the complex founder.
You can either PM me or post here. If you want contacts I will PM you.
The actual International Swimming Hall of Fame (museum) is relocating this year. We are just trying to save the aquatic complex. It has a long and rich swimming history and needs to be rebuilt!
I attended the 2002 USA-S Summer Nationals and watched Natalie Coughlin become the first woman to break the 1:00 barrier in the 100 LCM Back! I still have one lifetime best swim from that meet, which I will probably remember for a long time.
The pool served as the warmup/host venue for the 2011 USA-S Open Water Nationals. Warming up at that facility and walking across the road for the race was the perfect setup! It was one of the most memorable experiences I have in all my years of swimming. It wouldn't have been the same without the aquatic complex in that location.
With the variety of high level meets that it has hosted, I can only imagine the thousands of people with memories!
My mother is a snowbird in that area and for the past 7 years when visiting her I have swum at the Ft. Lauderdale Aquatic Center pool. The thought of swimming outside at that facility keeps me going through the Chicago winters and trudging to the pool through the snow. It is a beautiful location: with every breath you can see a palm tree. There is quite a community there as the Ft. Lauderdale ocean rescue is based there. I have seen the fire department practicing rescues there also. All ages swim at the pool. Lots of folks can walk to the facility because it is in a good location. The staff is always nice. The whole place does need renovation and I am quite disappointed to hear that it might not be built.
I spent two consecutive winter college training camps at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center with the University of Iowa. Some of my fondest memories from college are at and around the pool. Not only was the pool awesome but location was phenomenal.
I did that one year in college. We had a lot of fun in Ft. Lauderdale. I remember one night whe the whole team went to a restaurant called Steak and Brew which offered unlimited beer if you bought a steak. That was not a good bet for a restaurant for a room full of college swimmers in training and they fairly quickly told us they were out of beer.
My memories of swimming there did prompt a vacation with my family a few years back. We stayed in a hotel on the beach and I was able to go to an early workout with the masters team at thr HOF pool and be back to the hotel before the rest of the family arose.
It would be a shame to see this pool close.
Thanks everybody for sharing some swimming memories! They will be used to support the iconic nature of this historical facility. History seems to be irrelevant in so many minds!
