Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 19, 1992 TAG: 9203190364
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LYNN A. COYLE SOUTH CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It was the second meet in the Gator Aquatic Center, which opened in October, in part to give members of the Roanoke Valley Swimming Inc. Gators a better facility in which to practice and compete.
"It's much better than the old place," said 12-year-old Priscilla Thornsbury, comparing the new pool to the LancerLot in Vinton, which the team used to call home.
"Members used to yell at us for using their lockers. Now that we have our own place, we can do pretty much what we want to without getting yelled at," said Thornsbury, who is in her third year on the team.
"The location is wonderful," said Barbara Thornsbury, Priscilla's mother. "We live in Northwest Roanoke, and it's exactly 10 minutes from my house."
The site on Overland Road between James Madison Middle and Fishburn Park Elementary schools and adjacent to Virginia Western Community College was chosen because of its central location in the Roanoke Valley.
So many people were standing on the deck during the meet that it was hard to get through the crowd to the packed bleachers. The Gatorland Cafe was doing a brisk business.
The following Tuesday at lunch time, however, the scene was much different. Only two staff members were on duty, and only one person was using the facilities.
So far, the center hasn't had the influx of people expected, said Doug Fonder, executive director of the Gator's non-profit parent group, Roanoke Valley Swimming Inc., which built and owns the pool.
Fonder said he realizes now that in addition to the committee in charge of getting the pool funded and built, there should have been a committee working just as hard on publicity. "But we were so involved in it, we just thought everyone knew about it," he said.
High school swim teams and the Gators use the pool mostly, but the Roanoke school system recently started a program to teach third-graders to swim.
The center also offers group and private lessons for preschoolers through adults, water aerobics, lap swim, lifesaving, first aid and CPR. "We're interested in teaching everybody to swim," said pool manager Robert "Bobby" Braaten.
"We did not want it to be a private, elite situation. We wanted something for everyone," said Fonder, "Anybody who can get there, we will find a program for them."
Cave Spring Coach Kit McCarthy said she likes the big, open area and large lanes. "All my kids like it a lot," she said. "I like it as a coach, too, because it slopes so it's deeper in the middle so the kids can't stop and talk."
That design also allows her to stop kids at either end to instruct or talk to them, something she can't do at the deep end of most pools.
To date, the pool's biggest source of individual members has been the Virginia Western Community College staff, Braaten said, averaging two new members a week.
"I think a lot of people didn't think it was even going to happen," Fonder said. Certainly not as fast as it did.
It was little more than a year ago that the Gators decided to build the center.
The Gators had been renting pool time at the LancerLot since 1988, Fonder said, but were outgrowing the facility. So a group of 33 people - parents of current and former Gator Swim Team members - personally guaranteed a $400,000 loan from Central Fidelity Bank. Roanoke agreed to lease them the land for $1 a year. Construction started in July and was finished in October.
Fund raising is ongoing. The group's swim-a-thon in December - the third largest in the country - raised more than $10,000 toward the $100,000 goal of the current capital campaign.
Fonder said because the businesses involved worked for "bare bones" cost, "we built the facility at way way below market value. It's probably a $6-7,000 setup."
Braaten explained that although a pool this size needs only four sand filters, they built it with six to make the water even cleaner.
The pool is open to the public on a membership or pay-per-use basis. 982-POOL. Hours are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Monday Friday, to 7 p.m., reserved for Gators practice.
by CNB