In a city synonymous with going fast, USA Swimming will soon host many of the top swimmers in the world as they follow their dreams of international achievement to the Paris Games.
The U.S. team will make its selections for the 2024 Games when Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium hosts the Trials meet from June 15-23. You read that right: America’s most prestigious and well-attended swimming event is being held at a venue known almost exclusively for NFL football and major non-aquatic events like the Super Bowl and the NCAA Final Four.
So how exactly is the home of the Indianapolis Colts hosting the biggest swim meet of the year? The answer is the magic of the Myrtha modular pool.
Featuring a system of stainless steel panels clad with PVC, the unique and flexible Myrtha Pools system can be emplaced above grade and used for both permanent use and special events like the Trials event in Indianapolis and those later this summer in Paris. Myrtha’s bolt-and-fasten assembly can be erected and waterproofed in a matter of days, which is ideal for venues like Lucas Oil Stadium that have other events to consider and limited advance availability.
A host of partners from around the aquatics world will join forces with Myrtha to provide all the mechanical room elements, along with piping and decking, to complete the setting for this world-class, fan- and media-friendly environment, which will include a warm-up pool in addition to the competition and seating areas. And both pools will demand vigilant attention to remain at the perfect temperature and condition for optimal racing.
Those rigorous tolerances are essential in order for the pools to be sanctioned for the meet and to make the performances eligible for world record consideration. Fortunately, the Myrtha system is uniquely suited to the challenge. The precisely developed steel components have a long history of comfortably meeting the demanding dimensional tolerances at hand. The fact that 170 world records have been established in meets conducted in Myrtha pools is certainly a testament to that attention to detail.
Modular pools like the Myrtha system aren’t just transforming events and venues; they’re transforming communities. That’s because the pool components used in these meets can be sold, disassembled, packaged, and re-installed permanently in communities across the country and around the world.
The main competition pool from this year’s meet will be headed to the Fort Wayne Wellness Alliance, where it will be the centerpiece of a stunning new facility. The warm-up pool, too, has a final destination: a new project in the Cayman Islands. It’s a longstanding Myrtha tradition and a way to extend the heritage of North American swimming by allowing future generations to swim in the same vessel where the very best in the world made a splash.
The competition pool from 2021 will soon be installed by V3 Sports in Minneapolis, while the warm-up pool is already busy at the FAST Swim Complex in Ocala, Fla. The 2016 competition pool is thriving as part of the Hulbert Aquatic Center in West Fargo, N.D., while the warm-up pool is in use in Santa Ynez Valley, Calif. Charles River Aquatics in Boston, Mass., has the competition pool from the 2012 Trials, and the warm-up pool went to Tranquility Park in Omaha, Neb. And the 2008 competition pool is training the next generation of champions at Poseidon Swimming in Richmond, Va.
Beyond these special legacy pools, modular vessels include built-in advantages over traditional concrete pools. Because the Myrtha system’s unique stainless steel structure is clad with a rigid PVC surface, it’s easy to clean and maintain. That same PVC surface is also inert with respect to the water, which makes maintaining the proper pH levels easier and less dependent on chemicals.
The pre-engineered nature of the modular system saves time during construction and can shorten a project’s overall timeline and labor costs as well. The Myrtha system also includes only 50 percent of the embedded carbon found on the typical concrete building path, making it a smarter, more environmentally friendly option.
So, whether you’re a venue hoping to host the next great American meet or a community looking for an affordable and quick-to-install option for your municipal or club pool, consider following in the wake of national governing bodies worldwide and cities across the country that are making modular pools a permanent solution.