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After a February delay due to weather, SMU broke ground last week on our new outdoor 50-meter, Olympic sized pool. This would make our aquatic facility the first collegian swimming program to have both indoor and outdoor, long course pools on the same site. In addition to dramatically expanding our training capacity, we can host major regional and national events, which will showcase SMU and our Men's and Women's programs to a wide, national audience.

https://www.smu.edu/ignited/news/gifts/ ... Day_Wrapup

That is fantastic news! Wow, we’ve gone from dilapidated short course facilities to now this. The only shame is that it can’t be on campus. I sure miss summers hanging out and swimming at the outdoor pool.

ponyboy wrote:That is fantastic news! Wow, we’ve gone from dilapidated short course facilities to now this. The only shame is that it can’t be on campus. I sure miss summers hanging out and swimming at the outdoor pool.

ponyboy,

I agree, although it isn't far just across the North Central Expressway on SMU Blvd. The original concept was to build on the site of the Perkins Natatorium, where our beautiful Indoor Performance Facility (IPF) now exists. The original plan made sense at the time, since the outdoor A.R. Barr Pool was already in place.

However, the prime location on Bishop is fairly close to Ford Stadium; so that superseded our initial plan.

We are just pleased that the size and quality of our new aquatic center has met and exceeded our expectations; despite being late to positively impact our teams and recruits.

I guess there is no hope to get June Jones as our swim coach since the athletes would have to cross the street to get to the pool.

It's better this way, that way all the swimming facilities are consolidated. My dream is to one day build a track and field facility next to swimming and diving. Ideally have a full certified track with all the field areas adjacent to it and an indoor track next to it. That way we can host big track meets and attract better student athletes and hopefully bring back men's track.

Add a baseball stadium into that complex and we’d be having a real nice time.