Huron’s pool, which was once a loving place for swim practices, team meets, and many more activities, had become a source of frustration for athletes and families this past year. What was expected to be a straightforward renovation had stretched into many months of delays. 

“Huron is expected to be completed by the end of August 2024,” Coach Andrea Stanczyk said.

 The project faced setbacks that kept the pool closed until the end of Sept. 2024, leaving us athletes without our primary training facility. These renovations were necessary to fix the aging equipment and for the safety of anyone who uses the pool. 

As a swimmer who relied on the pool for all of my sports, this was a huge impact on the team and myself. I can personally say that this had a significant impact on our training and teamwork. With other teams having access to their pools, we struggled to find a pool to practice at. 

“Finding different practice spaces has felt like a never-ending challenge with the middle school and outdoor pools just not meeting our needs,” teammate Maddie Pale said.

With this, it was challenging to keep up a regular practice schedule, learn skills or build connections between the team when we were bouncing around. 

It was also quite disappointing how little communication we got from the school on pool updates. Parents and athletes were not given a ton of information, which added to this frustration. Regular updates could have made a huge difference, helping us understand why it was taking so long to finish.  

Moving forward, openness and fast communications with the coaches, athletes, and families should be a top priority. To more effectively plan our training, we need to get accurate time lines and status reports about how the renovations are going. 

“This experience has shown us the importance of planning and clear communication in any renovation project,” Pale said.