to see the whole article: http://dailyemerald.com/2014/05/29/leighton-pool-shares-deep-connection-with-uo-club-swim/

Leighton Pool Shares Deep Connection with UO Club Swim

Posted by Jonathan Hawthorne on Thursday, May. 29 at 12:45 pm.

After the renovation of the rec center, the old pool will be convereted into a gray water tank. This means the univeristy will be conserving fresh water by collecting rain water to use for the toilets. (Courtney King/Emerald)

 

There’s a special bond that swimmers share with their home pool. It’s indescribable, but mainly revolves around the day-to-day memories of workouts.

Oregon’s Leighton Pool has played host to swimmers for 55 years, but by the time spring term ends, the pool will have hosted its last workout.

The University of Oregon Club Swim team has enjoyed Leighton Pool’s waters for years, but that will change when the pool will close indefinitely on June 7 as part of the Student Recreation Center’s renovation efforts.

Leighton Pool will be replaced by a new 12-lane lap pool, which will host lap swimming, water polo, water aerobics and instructional classes. The new aquatics center will also feature a three-lane recreational pool for water volleyball and basketball, as well as instructional classes and a whirlpool spa.

Bridget Shepherd, who will serve as the UO Swim Club’s president next year, said that Leighton Pool has served as an important part of the team experience through the years.

“Leighton Pool is our home pool and we try to hold as many practices there as possible,” Shepherd said. “We love being able to have practice on campus and having a pool of our own. It is a very important part of our swim club.”

Tyler Jessop, the current president of the swim club said that Leighton Pool has not been without a few hurdles.

“While it is convenient, it has had its issues for the swim club, most specifically the biggest issues we have are temperature and size,” Jessop said.

The six-lane pool requires coordination with other aquatic resources, which means they often don’t receive all the hours they want.

The new pool, scheduled to open winter term of 2015, will serve as the new home for the swim team. The team is hoping to get its season started during fall term, but that will require all off-campus practices. Currently, the team splits time between Leighton Pool and Willamalane Swim Center in Springfield.

Jessop, a self-proclaimed history fanatic, said that he spent time researching the pool’s rich history.

“While I’m excited for the new pool, it’s also sad to see such a historic landmark torn down in Eugene,” Jessop said.

Brenton Hudak, a freshman on the team, will have three more years with the swim club to benefit from the new pool. He said his first year has been rewarding with fellow teammates outside of the pool.

“It definitely got me more involved,” Hudak said. “I’ve made some good friends. The only thing I wish is that we would have had a couple more meets because it’s not as competitive as I was thinking it would be.”

Both Jessop and Shepherd agreed that next year with a new pool on campus the team will grow in numbers. They said there is a strong correlation between the number of swimmers that attend practice and the amount of distance to travel to attend practice.

“Having all of our practices at this new pool could help establish a really strong community which would be amazing,” Shepherd said0. “I think we can really make the new pool our new home and I’m excited to see how it changes our team.”