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Frisco Aquatics breaks ground on new facility
Frisco Aquatics members support the organization at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new 30,000-square-foot swimming facility that took place March 15. Photo courtesy of John Ramey.
By Anthony Tosie, atosie@starlocalnews.com, @anthonytosie on Twitter
Frisco Aquatics broke ground on its new 30,000-square-foot swimming facility last week, paving the way for the expansion of the organization's swimming program.
The groundbreaking of the $6 million facility took place March 15, though construction won't officially start for a few weeks. When it does, it will begin making way for a unique pool -- the warm-up pool from the 2008 Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb.
The warm-up pool includes a full-sized Olympic pool plus an additional four-lane, 25-yard side pool.
Katy Motsinger, a coach at Frisco Aquatics and the organization's communications director, said the Olympic Trials warm-up pool wasn't being used before the organization offered to buy it.
"It's basically just been sitting in Omaha for five years now," she said. "We just approached USA Swimming about purchasing the pool because it fit our construction stipulations. For engineering purposes, that design and construction of the pool fit better than the typical in-ground."
Motsinger added that the purchase was also more cost-effective than building its own pool, which would have been difficult given the ground the pool will reside in.
Currently, the organization practices at the Frisco Independent School District Natatorium, though the organization's seen so much growth that it often has to turn children away or make them join a waiting list.
"We've been looking at the opportunity [of making our own facility] since 2009," Motsinger said. "We used to work out of another pool, then we were down to just the Frisco ISD Natatorium. Looking at the growth of the team and the growth of the area, finding more water space was really necessary."
Countless fundraising efforts later, the organization is now able to reach that goal. Motsinger said donations from local residents and companies have helped make the organization's dream a reality, as has financing from First National Bank.
With the growth also comes the need for more employees as well. Currently, there are only eight coaches on Frisco Aquatics' staff, but the organization plans to at least double that amount. The organization will still need help to reach all its goals, however.
"We're still not all the way there, but we're getting there," Motsinger said. "There are still some sponsorship ideas we're working on, and people can purchase [customized] bricks or tiles to help support us."
Individuals interested in purchasing a brick or tile for inclusion in the facility can visit the organization's website, www.friscoaquatics.com.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
eaglerc2001 wrote on Mar 23, 2013 6:07 PM:
" Where did Frisco Acquatics break ground. There is no location mentioned. "
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