From the WISCA Web-Site Blog

A reason to celebrate: Beloit Memorial's Natatorium

Oct 23 2013

They arrived by the dozens -- proud and excited residents, some as young as 8, some well into their 80s. The rousing pep band was there, belting out tunes to liven things up, and the high school choir sang a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem. The local state senator gave his thanks, as did the city manager, and members of the high school junior ROTC program presented the colors during the opening ceremonies.

All for a pool.

Well, more accurately, the brand-new Beloit Memorial High School Natatorium.

Beloit Memorial opened its doors Monday to its natatorium, part of a $70 million referendum passed by school district voters in 2012 that provided renovations and additions throughout the district. But one of the most visible parts of that referendum was officially dedicated Monday night before a crowd that numbered well over 500 people.

"The pool you're about to see isn't just a little spectacular," said Beloit schools superitendent Steve McNeal. "It's a lot spectacular."

Indeed it is. The 8-lane, 25-yard pool is nearly four times as large as the school's former pool -- 24,000 square feet in all. Eleven rows of bleachers, plus several more in a mezzanine section overlooking the starting blocks, provide seating for 870 fans -- more than all but one (Waukesha South) high school-based pool in the state. A large electronic scoreboard looms over the turn end of the pool. Natural lighting filters into the pool from windows built on two sides. Glare from the sun coming through the windows? Push a button, and electronic blinds cover the windows in a matter of seconds.

"This is like a real pool," said Shawn Fredericks, who coached Beloit high school swim teams back in the 1970s and 1980s and was among dozens of alumni and others with connections to swimming who were at the opening ceremony.

"It was a dream that some day Beloit would have a pool like this," added Barb Butz, who helped teach literally thousands of Beloit youngters how to swim during her summer swim lesson programs and coached swim teams as well. "I'm just thrilled."

The old pool wasn't much to speak of -- its aluminum lining leaked, it had little deck space, and safety guidelines didn't permit the use of starting blocks because it was too shallow. Including a new pool in the district's referendum sparked community debate, but its backers said the pool was an integral part of the bond issue, as it showed that the greater Beloit community was willing to make a significant investment on behalf of its children and those beyond the school walls. The natatorium -- located at a school that overlooks the Rock River running straight through Beloit -- will soon be home to morning lap swims, swim lessons, physical education classes, and regional swim meets.

To mark the natatorium's formal opening, students from all grades of Beloit's schools ringed the pool and jumped in to applause and cheers from the crowd. But everyone vacated it shortly aftewards -- everyone, that is, except the Beloit girls high school swim team, which had a full-fledged practice Monday night under the tutelage of head coach Kim Waite and her assistants.

One interested onlooker at the grand opening was Deb Prowse, a 1986 Beloit Memorial graduate who got behind the community support group -- Imagine Beloit -- that led the effort to pass the referendum. Her two children -- 10-year-old daughter Sydney and 14-year-old son Jackson -- are both avid swimmers and part of local community swim teams; Jackson plans to join the high school swim team as a freshman in November.

She sees the natatorium not just as a great place for her kids to swim, but an indication of what's possible for Beloit.

"To me, this was just an investment that's going to pay back Beloit for years to come," she said.

That the natatorium -- and the larger referendum -- were passed and built in Beloit is all the more remarkable, given the economic challenges faced by the city in recent years. It has one of the highest unemployment rates of any city in Wisconsin, and three-fourths of Beloit school district students qualify for free and reduced lunches, the standard measure of poverty in schools.

But to longtime Beloit boy's swim coach Richard Vogel, the pool -- and the larger referendum that's remaking schools all over the city -- are a symbol of a community turning the corner. Vogel, who could probably land a second job as chief promoter of all things Beloit, has been coaching swimming Beloit for more than three decades.

"It's fabulous, isn't it?" said the coach, dripping wet after taking a plunge. "Beloit's the kind of community that supports education. The things that are happening in this community are phenomenal. You saw the turnout -- what other community would do that? You can see that we're Beloit proud by looking at the turnout here."