Surrounded by pine trees and nestled in the upper regions of the
UCLA campus, the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center pool has housed
some of the most heralded water polo players, swimmers and divers
ever to grace the campus.
That will change beginning fall of 2008.
On Monday, the UCLA Athletic Department announced the
construction of the Spieker Aquatic Center which is projected to
begin summer of 2007.
The facility, which includes a 52-meter, 25-yard deep-water pool
and diving well (1m/3m boards, 5m/10m tower), would have never
happened without the financial support of various donors.
Former student-athlete Tod Spieker, who swam for the Bruins from
1968 to 1971 and was an All-American in 1969, and his wife
Catherine, were the lead donors.
“Catherine and I are very pleased to make the lead gift
for the new (Spieker) Aquatic Center to benefit UCLA’s
aquatic programs,” said Tod Spieker in a statement.
“Quite frankly, it was an easy decision for us to make
this gift. The benefits I received as a student-athlete at UCLA
have assisted me throughout my adult life. Now that we are in a
position to give back, we want to see those same benefits provided
for current and future Bruin student-athletes. The aquatic center
will allow UCLA to compete at the highest intercollegiate
level.”
The $10-million state-of-the-art project will be the new home
for both the men’s and women’s water polo and swimming
and diving programs.
The Spieker Aquatic Center includes a clubhouse with locker
rooms, coaches’ offices and meeting rooms. The lighted
facility will hold 800 spectators in the permanent grandstand and
an additional 1,700 spectators in temporary seating.
In order to make room for the construction of the facility,
changes will be made that will affect the UCLA community.
The tennis courts adjacent to Sunset Canyon will be removed.
However, two new tennis courts will be added on the east-west
orientation of the Spieker Aquatic Center. The basketball courts
adjacent to Sunset Village will also be removed. Senior Associate
Athletic Director Ken Weiner said the removal of the basketball
courts is a campus issue.
“There is definitely a need for water,” Weiner said.
“If you go up to Sunset (Canyon), you can see a battle
between the recreational department and swimmers. It’s not
pretty.”
With the construction of the Spieker Aquatic Center, the Sunset
Canyon pool will allow for recreational swimming and programming to
take place.
As for whether students will be able to use the Spieker Aquatic
Center, Weiner stated that the facility will be used on a similar
line to Pauley Pavilion where athletic programs will have precedent
over the facility; however, this doesn’t rule out the
possibility of students being able to use the facility. During
intramural season, for example, students are given the opportunity
to play inside Pauley Pavilion when the men’s and
women’s basketball programs are not practicing.
With the facility, UCLA will also be able to host master’s
swimming events, individual and club swim meets and U.S. Water Polo
events, along with regional, national and international
competition.
Murmurs have swirled around the Spieker Aquatic Center for quite
some time now. UCLA men’s and women’s water polo coach
Adam Krikorian remembers hearing talks about a possible facility
when he was a player at UCLA back in 1995. But now it has become a
reality, and the facility means everything to the aquatic
sports.
“I’m just so excited; I can’t believe
it,” Krikorian said. “It’s been a long time
coming. We’ve developed so many great athletes in all the
aquatic sports and won many championships. The students have
deserved (this) a long time ago and I’m finally glad
we’re able to say we have an incredible facility here at
UCLA.”
Krikorian also believes that the Spieker Aquatic Center will be
a valuable asset when it comes to recruiting.
“In the past, we’ve spoken about Sunset (Canyon) as
a beautiful area, but we didn’t talk about the pool; we
talked about the location,” Krikorian said. “Now we can
do both. In terms of recruiting, who wouldn’t want to play in
one of the greatest facilities in the country?
“It shows these kids that there is a commitment made by
(the) administration, university and alumni that swimming and water
polo are a big deal. I think that is going to send excitement for
the high school players coming up.”