Swim, dive club looks to build pool on campus to start team
The Swim and Dive Club is working toward an addition to campus they believe will benefit the student body and Mount Pleasant community.
Adding a regulation-size pool on campus would allow for Central Michigan University to have a varsity swim and dive team, which has not been around since the late '80s.
Swim and Dive Club President and Fenton senior Eric Murray said he has been working on this project for about two years.
“No actual steps have been taken yet, but I’ve been talking with people in the athletic department to see what to do to get the ball rolling,” Murray said.
Assistant Director of Aquatics and Safety Ira Wrestler said Murray has been in contact with him regarding plans for the pool and confirmed that nothing is final yet.
The pool in Rose Arena doesn't meet the National Collegiate Athletic Association standards according to their website. It violates the starting block rule, is too shallow and the lanes do not stay a consistent depth.
“The Rose pool is not up to NCAA standards," Wrestler said. "It needs to be deeper to dive from starting blocks and remain a consistent depth through the entire lane."
Club member Corey Rubino, a Lansing freshman, has been helping out with the plans.
“We’re basically getting all the pieces in place to present something to the university about our plans,” Rubino said. “We need to be able to show them how much it would cost, where it would go, who besides the team would use it and how it would benefit the university. It’s a long process.”
Troy sophomore Lindsey Siroonian is on the Club Water Polo Team and said she has noticed the poor condition of the Rose Arena pool.
“We have to pay $125 to use that pool for my club and it’s not a pool worthy of $125,” Siroonian said. “During practice, if things hit the walls, the soundproofing squares near the ceiling will just fall off.”
Adding a more functional pool on campus will serve more purposes than just creating a swim team, Rubino said.
“It wouldn’t just be used by the team. It would be for the students and community," he said. "It would be an add-on to what could be utilized by students, and the university could make money off of meets and events."
Gaining approval for the pool would take a series of steps.
“We’ve been talking to people in the city of Mount Pleasant that have been very beneficial," Murray said. "From there, we’ll talk to the athletic director and eventually will have to meet with the president of CMU as well as the board of trustees."
CMU Board of Trustees Chairwoman Sarah Opperman verified those steps as what would need to be completed before meeting with the trustees.
The Swim and Dive Club plans to pursue the project as spring semester approaches.
“We’ll really get moving with this next semester,” Murray said. “Meetings with the athletic director will be scheduled and progress will be made.”
No official costs have been determined for the pool but Murray estimated about a quarter of a million dollars in costs to maintain a varsity team.
For now, club members continue to rally support and plan for their project.
“Nothing’s official yet, it’s just something we’re trying to gain support for and we really want to get going,” Rubino said.
