After hearing the desires of students, Belmont University has made an agreement with Centennial Sportsplex for the use of a pool.
“It just seemed like it was the right time to go and approach them and go ahead and begin the relationship. It just set up perfectly for us to go ahead and take the jump,” said Jamie Zeller, the assistant director of fitness and recreation.
Before the agreement, the Swim Club was already using the pool as a practice area. With praise from the Swim Club about the pool, Belmont made the contract. Now Belmont students can use two lanes of a pool on Tuesdays and Thursdays until April 17.
The use of the pool is part of a six-week contract. The short contract allows Belmont to stop the use of the pool if it doesn’t prove to be a good use of money.
“It’s a good thing because it gives us some flexibility because if it comes back and this doesn’t work then we know and we won’t do it again,” said Zeller.
Depending on the amount of student interest, there may be plans to add more lanes.
“Realistically it depends on what the lifeguard can handle. If it gets to the point where we need more lanes, it could end up becoming a situation where they actually have to provide us another life guard,” said Zeller.
Currently, the lanes are only open for open swim. Students have some swim equipment, like kickboards, available for use if they want to change their routine.
There’s also a chance that Belmont will have special programming in addition to open swim. Intramural sports, like water polo and water basketball, will be looked at for the 2014-2015 school year.
“It would be nice to have like an intramural water polo game or something. If I’m dreaming big, I’d like to see Belmont get a swim and water polo team,” said Hannah Loporchio, one of the students who uses the pool.
With 39 students already having used the lanes 62 times, the plan is to have the lanes claimed next semester until fall break. To keep the lanes, students should continue to use them and bring friends, Zeller said.
“I kind of lose myself in the water when I swim. There is only so much you can think about while swimming back and forth,” said Loporchio. “I feel way less stressed after swimming. If you have the opportunity to go swim, you should take it.”