New pool to have kids walking on water

ONE of the few Olympic sized swimming pools in Ireland is now available on the Southside.

The 50m pool is part of the new UCD Sport & Fitness centre that opened its doors to the public on Monday, June 25.

The world class fitness facility in Belfield, which boasts the state-of-the-art, ten-lane Olympic sized swimming pool was completed as part of an overall e50 million investment by University College Dublin.

This facility will be available to children taking part in the just launched UCD Sport & Fitness

‘Learn to Swim’ Summer programme which runs in July and August.

A full range of children’s swimming lessons will also be available from September. In line with the high standards throughout the facility, all swimming lessons will be provided by experienced and qualified teachers. The facility is also available to students past and present, staff and the general public.

Announcing the details of the

‘Learn to Swim’ summer programme, aquatics manager at UCD Sport & Fitness and former Irish Olympian (Atlanta 1996), Earl McCarthy, said:

“The design of the pool reflects the very latest in aquatics. The depth can be adjusted with the push of a button via its two adjustable floors thus catering for all swimmers from novice through to elite and it is particularly useful for teaching children and adult beginners.

“It also has a boom or dividing wall, which can split the pool into sections of 25m each. Parents can introduce infants and young children to their first swimming experience in the comfort of the toddlers’ pool which is maintained at a warmer temperature than the main pool. We’re aiming to provide the very best coaching to all levels of swimmer, from absolute beginner to elite. We want everybody who swims here to gain such confidence that they’ll feel that they could walk on water.

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Current UCD science student and new pool user, a former Irish Olympian (Beijing 2008), Aisling Cooney, added:

“It’s exciting to see young children learning to swim here at UCD and hopefully some of them will grow up to be our next Olympians in years to come.

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For more information on the children’s Learn to Swim summer programme, the September children’s lessons, or if you are interested in becoming a member contact: UCD Sport & Fitness, tel 01-7163800 or email [email protected]