Competitive swimming is about time. Time, in its smallest and simplest increments, is measured in fractions of a second, defining world records and personal achievement. When planning for an event
of such significance as the Olympic Swimming Trials, there were
basic elements, such as water depth, sightlines and turbulence
reduction that were taken into consideration for the design to
contribute to the athletes' quest in reducing seconds.
In competitive swimming, deeper is better. It is a known fact
that swimmers create a pressure wave as they move through the
water, caused by both their actions and their displacement. Years
ago, the starts and turns were shallow, rarely deeper than three
feet. The operating theory was that the stroke was where the speed
was. Today the starts are deeper, the turns have 15 meters of
allowable underwater dolphin kicking, and these competitive
evolutions have the swimmers nearer to a 4 foot depth. The
resultant pressure wave created by the swimmer is also deeper,
creating reflected resistance, or bounce back to the swimmer.
Deeper water limits these reflections, as the pressure travels in
waves, dispersing its energy as it travels further.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
This simple axiom is especially important when considering the
Olympic Swimming Trials in which tenths of a second can separate
eight places in the standings. Systems that optimize water clarity
for pool bottom striping, providing visual cues on ceilings (for
backstrokers) and clear white lighting, provide the visual
Swimming in open water such as a lake is very different from
swimming in a pool; the wave action makes swimming more difficult.
Even the small disturbance caused by the swimmer himself or herself
causes additional resistance that can add fatigue, lessening the
energy for propulsion. Large diameter lane dividers with
energy-dissipating rings quell the wave energy created by the
swimmer while preventing these waves from spreading to the adjacent
Design of the perimeter gutter system was also critical, as
removal of the start and turn surges and swim turbulence requires
careful analysis of gutter profiles, capacities and flow
characteristics to eliminate the potential for flooding and
rebound. Additional care must be exercised when you re-introduce
filtered water back into the pool. Inlets must be located and
spaced to provide an even distribution of clean filtered water
throughout the pool, in an adequate quantity to maintain water
clarity, all while not creating turbulence.
There were many contributors to the success of the Olympic trial
pool project. Working closely with the pool supplier, Myrtha Pools,
Water Technology Inc. designed two independent filtration systems,
providing perimeter distribution of the returns in a
“high/low” pattern around the pool, one system being
high distribution, the other low. While having the additional
benefit of providing redundancy in filtration for this signature
event, the design provides the pool with the ability to dial back
the upper distribution system during events, reducing turbulence
while optimizing filtration between the events. Superior filtration
was mandatory to ensure the fastest pool possible.
Lane widths are another factor in turbulence reduction, allowing
the wake created by the swimmer to spread further before meeting
the lane dividers letting some of the energy to disperse while
allowing the swimmer to “pass” the rebound point of the
With two million gallons of water sitting on the floor at the
Qwest Center, some of the world's best swimmers competing and
thousands of spectators and fans to cheer them on, the atmosphere
created was absolutely electric. Perhaps the best indicator of the
quality of the pools, other than the records set, was the statement
heard by swimmers and coaches, “Great swim, best
Not only were nine world, 21 American, 19 U.S. Open, and 45 meet
records set in the 2008 Olympic Trials competition pool over a span
of eight days, but the Olympic Trials event set a new standard for
swimming venues. The two 50-meter pools built inside an existing
events center provide a glimpse of what is possible. One minor
challenge that was encountered was space. In order to accommodate
the competition pool, the first four rows of seats in the arena of
the Qwest Center had to be removed. The coordination of design,
fabrication and assembly in the Qwest Center occurred in the small
time frame of one month.
With the journey of these Myrtha pools beginning in Castiglione,
Italy to the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb., where they were
temporarily placed specifically for the Olympic Trials event, the
pools were taken down, and transported to Chesterfield, Virginia
for final placement in the Chesterfield County sports
NUTS & BOLTS
Aquatic space:38,000 square feet (water)/12,000 square feet (deck space)
Year opened: 2008
Cost: $4 million
Dream feature: Nine world, 21 American, 19 U.S. Open, and 45 meet records were set in the 2008 Olympic Trials competition pool.
- Dream Designer: Water Technology Inc.
- Pool Contractor: DWR Construction
- Pool Manufacturer: Myrtha Pools
- Piping & Start Up: Pool Tech Midwest
- Filters: Neptune-Benson
- Gutters: Myrtha Pools USA
- Ladders/Grab bars: Myrtha Pools USA
- Lane Markers:Adolph Kiefer and Associates
- Sanitization Systems:ETS
- Starting Blocks:Myrtha Pools USA Inc.
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