Collegiate Times

A new aquatic facility in Christiansburg will open its doors next spring for town residents and Virginia Tech's swim and dive team.

Terry Caldwell, the director for Christiansburg's Aquatic Center, said there would be a heated therapy pool, leisure pool with a water slide, and a competition pool.

"My intent for the heated pool is to rent it out to the hospital for rehabilitation programs and aerobic programs," Caldwell said.

The competition pool will be 50 meters long and will also feature a diving well that includes platforms for one- and three-meter springboards, and for five-, 7-1/2- and 10-foot platform diving.

The deepest end of the pool will be 17 meters and the other end will be seven meters deep.

"Tech will have a separate entrance into the locker room and will also have a meeting room to use," Caldwell said.

In addition to the aquatic features, the building will also have seating for more than 1,000 spectators.  

Tech's swim and dive team may be impacted greatly by this facility, said Braden Holloway, the associate head coach for the swim and dive team.

Holloway gave several examples of the facility's effects.

"The facility will attract more high-level recruits and will be able to compete with other programs that have top-notch facilities," Holloway said. "The diving team will also benefit with the platform because it will prepare the divers, and the pool will help the team train better as a whole and will also give us more room."

War Memorial Hall is the current facility used by the swim and dive program; however, the team is ready for a new facility.

"We are very much excited," Holloway said. "The team is excited because War has been a great pool for us but it has been there a long time.

The air circulation is hard there and space is limited. This new pool will create more opportunities for the swimmers and (we) know what it will do for the program."

Holloway said the swim and dive program will utilize the new center immediately, but will also continue to practice at War occasionally, because of its location in the center of campus, whereas the Christiansburg facility is off campus. Most of the meets will take place at the new facility.

Swim captain Jordan Mchorney is also optimistic for the new facility opening in Christiansburg. "It's going to be a great venue and the ACC championships at the end of the season might be held there," Mchorney said. "It's also going to increase visibility for the team."

The facility will also host various programs for residents to participate in, such as kayak instructions, lifeguard programs, swim lessons and pregnancy classes.

The search and rescue team will be able to use the facility's meeting rooms.

Caldwell plans to hire three other supervisors to help oversee programs at the new aquatic center. One will help with the overall facility and another will help set up leisure programs.