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With the closure of the pool at the history-filled Phoenix Swim Club facility this spring and its pending demolition for development, there has been plenty of shouting by the adults. Shouts have come from coaches lamenting its loss (though, not the coaches of the team itself). Shouts have come from those who once upon a time grew up within its fences. Shouts from members of the Masters team, and shouts from the homeowners in the surrounding neighborhood have echo’ed through the desert.
Today, though, we bring a new voice to E. Campbell Avenue, from a segment that hasn’t been represented, and that’s the voice of 14-year old Phoenix Swim Club’er Abby Loel. She has a considerably rosier view for the future of the Phoenix Swim Club, and while she understands the history of the facility, she knows that the Phoenix Swim Club is bigger than just a pool: it’s a team.
Yes, it is true that MOST great things must come to an end. Not this great thing though. Yes it is true that the FACILITY of the Phoenix Swim Club is being demolished, but that doesn’t mean that PSC is closing. It is a very big loss for the state of Arizona to lose such a wonderful swim facility. However I assure you that we aren’t losing a wonderful team. I have been swimming at the Phoenix Swim Club for ten years. My name is Abby Loel. For me, being a part of the Phoenix Swim Club is a great honor. “Imagine that you train in the same beautiful outdoor facility for years. The same 50m pool where former Olympians have trained, shed sweat and tears, and hosted countless championship swim meets. And then, one day, you learn it’s being sold to a housing development.” Says Splash magazine writer, Mike Gustafson. Yes, it is sad to be leaving my second home but we are getting ready to dive in to a new home this fall.
Before it was the Phoenix Swim Club it was the Phoenician Swim Club. Prior to that it was Madison Vista a Public School. The Pool opened in 1988. This happened with lots of thanks to Mr. Keating, Gary Hall Sr. and family members. They built the pool and ran it in the early years. Gary Hall Jr., an Olympian who has won 10 Olympic medals — five gold, two silver, three bronze — in three Olympic Games from 1996 to 2000 said that the PSC was one of the reasons that he started swimming competitively. A bit after the 2000 Olympics the Phoenix Swim Club facility was sold to Brophy College Prep. Then PSC changed its name to BEST (Brophy East Swim Team). In 2009 BEST was changed back to Phoenix Swim Club, stopped being sponsored by Brophy, and became was a non-profit organization.
Many other Olympians and elite swimmers have trained or competed at our pool: Anthony Ervin, and Roland Shoeman who still swims for PSC and is training for his fifth Olympics. Also, Misty Hyman, Jessica Hardy, Dana Vollmer, Klete and Kayln Keller and many other elite swimmers have trained at our pool. When an elite swimmer comes to PSC they sign a map of the world that covers an entire wall. It is known as “The Wall of Fame”. The swimmers sign their names on their home country. When I walk into the room with the wall I am overwhelmed with history. Although we can’t bring the wall to our new home, we will make new history.
Phoenix Swim Club does an amazing amount of community outreach. PSC hosts the only Special Olympics swim team in Phoenix. Grand Canyon University, Hubbard Swim School, and many public high schools practice at Phoenix, and lots, and lots of swim lessons take place at the pool. Sharing this wonderful pool with others has been a great experience.
Sometimes when we hear sad stories we want to cry. Hearing that our pool will be torn down and built into houses really makes me want to cry. Imagine your house burnt down, or you lose your job and have to move. That’s how a lot of people are feeling right now. Now they will fill our pools with cement. Phoenix Swim Club head coach Garrett McCaffrey said “This kind of transition is never easy, but thanks to all the work by our board of directors and the patience of our membership, Phoenix Swim Club is coming out of this in a wonderful position for success”. I am very grateful that we have a new home to move into, even though we have to move out of our old home we have great things to come. Our team will make new memories, and we will definitely laugh together! So many People have been trying to save our pool since we found out Brophy was going to sell this wonderful facility. I want to thank everyone who has helped in any way. We are so blessed to have so many coaches, board members, and our most organized office manager, meet organizer, and one of the nicest people I have met, Sandy Lee. Everyone has been very patient in waiting for an answer to, “Where will we go?”, “What will happen to Phoenix?”
We will merge with Arizona Marlins Swim Club under our team name, Phoenix Swim Club; we are so lucky to be able to keep our team open. We owe so much thanks to all those at PCDS, and Arizona Marlins, they have been so generous in welcoming our team. Phoenix Swim Club is so excited to get started at our new facility. It is going to be so beautiful; we have so much to look forward to. At the new facility, we will have state of the art equipment, two new pools, a diving well, a new weight room, and much more. Thank You! Also I want to thank Brophy for letting us use their world famous pool for this long. It was a great privilege to swim at Dottie Boreyko Brophy Sports campus. Even though it will be a big transition, it will be a wonderful change.
Swimming at the PSC facility pool has honestly changed my life; I have made lifelong friends. I will NEVER forget this pool. It is like moving away from your best friend. This is really sad for so many. I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t be a part of the Phoenix Swim Club. Everyone at Phoenix has touched my life in some way. Every minute of the 6,600 hours I have spent at the pool has been worth it. Thank you for reading this I hope you get something out of it. Never give up what you love even if there are obstacles in the way.
Well said Abby! Thanks so much for taking the time to write this and thanks to SwimSwam for publishing.
It boils down to the people that make PSC a special place. Sad to see the property go but the swimmers are still there, improving, growing and making lifelong friendships regardless of all the other noise.
The Phoenix area will have a beautiful multi million dollar new facility to train in a few months thanks to PCDS and cooperation with the Arizona Marlins. At the end of the day this is about the kids (and masters) who share a love for a lifelong sport. Not about all the other noise that only takes away from what has made and makes PSC… Read more »