After 35 years in the community, the Barrie Trojan Swim Club is looking to make a big splash with a much-needed 50-metre pool at any new facilities.
With 460 registered Swimming Canada swimmers associated with the Barrie Trojans, the club is one of the busiest organizations in the city.
The Trojans currently train and offer competitive swim training at the East Bayfield and Holly community centres as well as the Allandale Recreation Centre, the Barrie and Innisfil YMCA.
All of those pools are 25 metres in length, which has worked for years gone by, but Trojans vice president Kelly McCrae told BarrieToday the club needs to start training in the more accepted 50-m pool in order to grow as athletes and an organization.
“Regarding some history and 50-m facilities, with a single exception in 1904, all Olympics since 1896 have been a conducted in a 50-m swimming pool,” said McCrae. “In 2015, a rule (or) policy change was made that prevents athletes from qualifying for national, provincial, Eastern, junior national and senior national competitions or international competition in a pool shorter than 50 metres."
As a result, to advance to higher level, their athletes must travel to 50-m pools to compete and the times achieved in a 25-m pool don't count anymore for that level of competition, McCrae said, so while the Trojans can train in Barrie, they can't compete in Barrie.
At Monday’s general committee meeting, the issue of a 50-m pool was raised when the topic of the Salem and Hewitt's secondary plan areas came up in the updated outdoor recreation facility report presented to councillors. The south-end recreation centres aren’t due to be built for a few years still, but Coun. Doug Shipley asked to have the report amended to include taking a look at a 50-m pool installed as opposed to the current design of 25 metres.
“As a hockey coach, I’m at the rec centres about once a week and I know these folks are there at least four or five,” said Shipley. “This is a highly competitive sport and has the potential to bring in hundreds or more visitors to the city for competitions.”
There are different levels and ages for those who enter the Trojans and athletes can enter competitive swimming (ages 7-18), house league (ages 10-16) and masters (ages 18+). There is also a division for the younger athletes which can include several hundred young swimmers in the learn to competitive swim (Swim Skills) programs for youth between the ages of five to nine years old.
Two-thirds of participants in age-group swimming are female and keeping high-school aged competitive swimmers is challenging due to the training demands and many alternative aquatic sports that aren't offered in Barrie because of the lack of needed facilities, McCrae said.
Water polo, for example, requires a minimum pool depth of two metres.
McCrae has been with the organization for nine years and said the club has known about the need for a larger pool for quite a while, even organizing the 50-m Aquatic Centre Committee to deal with the issue fully.
While the push is for more accurate competitive training, it is also about the city of Barrie benefitting from hosting events which would add not only to the development of athletes, but put back into the local economy.
“The push for the larger pool is in its early stages despite being an issue for many years,” said McCrae. “Our club, and our 50-m aquatic centre committee, firmly believe a 50-m facility would create a vibrant and healthy community using aquatic programming as a catalyst to enhance wellness. We strive to establish Barrie as an aquatic centre of excellence; to build a culture of aquatic sport and recreation while promoting community engagement.
"If we could host events and bring in competitors and their families, that only benefits the economy and view of Barrie as sports community," McCrae added.
One issue that was raised by city staff Monday night would be the extra acreage required for a building with a larger pool.
The recommendations in the outdoor recreation facility study are estimated to have a capital cost of $26.4 million. This includes the facilities alone and doesn't factor in site servicing and development costs.
Trojans representatives will continue working with the sports events/facilities advisory committee on how to help bring the 50-m pool to Barrie, but the report from staff and more details are not expected until the building of the properties is closer to date.
-- With files from Raymond Bowe
