The Woodlands Swim Team (TWST) of Texas appears to be in line to become the future permanent home of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials pool. There are still some documents to be signed to finalize the deal, but TWST is expected to announce the move at a team meeting on Wednesday.
The pool will be a Myrtha Pool first built into the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska for the 2016 Trials, as was done in 2008 and 2012. After the Olympic Trials are over, the pool will be broken down and moved to The Woodlands. There’s no official word yet on where exactly the pool will go within The Woodlands’ community, but local speculation is that the new pool will be a shared facility between TWST and the local Masters program the Woodlands Masters Swim Team.
The Woodlands Swim team currently trains out of the Conroe ISD Natatorium – one of the best high school pools in the country and a facility that has hosted World Record swims (Katie Ledecky last week) and NCAA Championship meets, among many others.
Update: Myrtha Pools has confirmed that the pool will be heading to The Woodlands, releasing the quote below.
“Myrtha Pools is extremely excited to be working with The Woodlands Township alongside The Woodlands Swim Team and Woodlands Masters Swim Team,” said Mike Mintenko of Myrtha Pools. “It is great knowing that the legacy of the 2016 USA Swimming Trials Competition Pool will be passed onto a community with such a strong aquatics heritage. We look forward to collaborating on the project as the community brings the Myrtha technology and the Olympic standard of swimming pools to the Houston area”.
The same process of relocating the Trials pool is an every-four-year tradition, with the 2008 pool winding up in Richmond, Virginia and the 2012 pool heading to Boston. The 2004 pool from Long Beach, California went to Crafton Hills College of Yucaipa, CA, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary of the pool later this month.
The warmup pool for the 2016 Trials is still available for purchase from Myrtha.
TWST is hosting a team meeting on Wednesday to inform team members on “the exciting future of competitive swimming in The Woodlands,” calling the so-far undisclosed announcement a “game-changer.”
I don’t know who organized the effort to bring the 2012 Trials pool to Boston, but they have a crazy idea to put it out in Boston harbor. New England has VERY few long course pools because the season is so short, and most of them are under the control of universities. I hope they find another place for it; one that will accommodate more spectators and make it useful to the many, relatively small USS clubs in the area, preferably with the potential for enclosure so it can be used during the fall/winter/spring also!
Very happy for TWST. Great club. I am enjoying Nitro – Woodlands competition for 14 & U state tittle in Texas twice a year. After Nitro dominating for 3-4 years, Woodlands dominated us last two TAGS.
I just hope Woodlands does not start charging admission to TAGS as Longhorn Aquatics does for LC TAGS.
Conroe ISD Natatorium brings a lot of good memories. Place where our son finished top 6 in 9 out of 10 events in 2013 SCY TAGS and Nitro won team tittle at Woodlands. Hoping TWST will organize next one in March 2015 as well.
Nitro is awesome too! I visited your pool with coach Boerner. Your lesson program is awesome! Nice facility too.
The woodlands is where the money is that’s for sure.