Looking at all the discussion about where to host Nationals, I thought I would start a thread on your favorite or unusual pools that you have competed in.
There was a 50 meter pool in San Antonio Texas at the Lone Star Brewery. I believe it was spring fed and was surrounded on three sides by a pond. The meets used to be a favorite with the parents, because brewery tours and samples were available. It did not have much shade around the deck, but was a fast pool. Unfortunately it was closed when Stroh's bought Lone Star and moved the brewing operations.
The brewery is going to be redeveloped with with shopping, lofts, a health facility, and they are going to reopen the pool and beer garden area.
East LA a great competition pool. Very dark, but very fast as a high school soph, I missed the first flip turn in a 200 and had to scull back to touch the wall. Middlebury College is a good competition pool very well lit and very airy feeling.
Another one that they held the 1966 NCAAs in is the Air Force Academy Pool, just outside of Colorado Springs at an elevation of greater than 7,000 feet. My college coach swam in 1966 at NCAA and said many of the swimmers were puking and sick just swimming at elevation. If compare the times of the year before and after 1966, if I remember right, the 500 free is the slowest in 1966.
It is a great pool, fast, and deep. But it is my understanding that there may not be any more meets held there due to the security risk. But as written on the wall,back in the day, you had to be good to swim up here. A very true statement.
I hated Belmont because while I was in high school, 1985-1987, we had to swim in the shallow end all the time because the bulkhead wasn't working or some such nonsense. I swam there in college 1988 Big West Championships, in the deep end, and it was okay, but I had a lot of negative energy towards the place built up.
top 5
1. UT Austin
2. Mission Viejo (home pool)
3. Federal Way
4. University of Utah - not a great pool, but a spectacular view of the mountains out of the floor to ceiling windows.
5. Heritage Park, home of the Irvine Novas, the first place I made my CIF cuts and Jr. National cuts.
East LA was a great pool, but that is no joke about the scary neighborhood!
My favorite pool is the Aquatic Center in Coral Springs, FLA. It has a 50 m pool and two 25m pools- all outdoors in the wonderful Florida sun. I love it!
I have a top 5 favorite list:
1. IU Natatorium
2. Texas Swim Center, U of T
3. Belmont Plaza, Long Beach
4. Federal Way, Washington
5. Heritage Aquatic Center, Irvine
1. U of Maryland, College Park. (daylight!)
2. UT Austin (after over 30 years, still looks great and performs well)
3. Gregory Gym, Austin - yeah, it's a relic, but in high school I remember the State meets were deafening, it was really crowded, incredible energy. And my dad swam there in the 40's (recreationally).
I think the atmosphere and memories can contribute a lot to a marginal pool as long as you don't hit your back on the bottom or shred various appendages on walls and lane lines.
Favorites that are, perhaps, not quite as competitive, but they do have lanes:
- Deep Eddy, Austin, with the outdoor changing rooms and tree canopy and no chemicals
- Glenwood Springs, Colorado, in the winter with snow all around.
DV
Federal Way, WA is my favorite competition pool.
I also like the Bob Devaney pool in Lincoln, NE, although I never competed there, just trained there a lot.
