At the heart of campus lies one of the quietest and warmest spots anywhere at Syracuse University.

The sun takes over – shining through dozens of windows. Hanging high above the water are three faded blue and orange Big East championship banners, from 1980, ’82 and ’96. The black digital thermometer on the wall reads 80.3 degrees. It’s mid-day and little can be heard besides a faint smacking of the water against the concrete walls.

Ted Webster Pool has been home to the Syracuse swimming team since 1950. And while it may be rich with history, past All-Americans and innumerable stories, this pool is past its prime and maybe in need of new life.

‘It’s not adequate,’ said SU Director of Athletics Daryl Gross. ‘I know that. If we want to be one of the elite teams in the country – and that is our goal – the facilities have to be better.’

Gross said the pool doesn’t even begin to compare with the one at Southern California, where he spent 14 years. The age of the pool is reason enough to discuss a new facility.

The pool itself is named after SU swimming and diving coach Ted Webster, who ran the program from 1929-1965. When Webster began his tenure 75 years ago, meets were held in a different part of Archbold Gymnasium. What is now the bursar’s office on the north side of the building was once the pool for the swimming and diving teams.

‘Obviously, it’s on the list of things to look at, in a serious way,’ Gross said. ‘I’m asking the coaches to be nationally ranked, with teams of significance, and if we are going to do that, obviously we need the resources to do it.’

When the 25-meter Webster pool opened it was a state-of-the-art facility and the site for the NCAA Championship swimming meet. Today, the pool couldn’t even be considered a candidate to host that meet. The NCAA mandates that in order to have the championship meet, a facility must have 1,200 seats, eight lanes of swimming, a warm-up and warm-down pool (separate from the pool of competition); and a diving well.

Webster pool has six lanes, 600 spectator seats, no adjacent pools, and divers currently have to compete in the Women’s Building. The pool is 55 years old – the oldest home to any of the SU teams.

The biggest issue comes with the pool’s length. Currently, swimmers can race at 25-meters and 25-yards. But all international races and Olympic races (virtually every swimmers ultimate goal) are raced in a 50-meter pool. Training in a shorter distance has its effects.

‘Stamina,’ said Poland native Luk Boral. ‘It really affects your stamina. This pool is great for working on turns and strength, but when you can’t do any long course work, and then you move to the longer pool. It’s tiring.’

Boral is a sophomore at Syracuse and a two-time national champion for Poland. He has realistic dreams of competing in The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and although SU couldn’t offer a pool with international length, it didn’t hurt the recruiting of Boral.

One of the major concerns revolving around the pool is that of recruiting. While the worry seems to be logical, the current roster has swimmers and divers from 15 states and five countries. However, most of that has to do with the man who is quietly behind the success and stability of the program.

His office is tucked away among the nooks and crannies of Archbold. Adjacent to the pool, Lou Walker sits, talking in his deep, inviting tone – sharing stories of his program. Pictures cover the wall as Walker sits behind his desk in a pair of blue mesh shorts and a white ‘Syracuse University Swimming and Diving’ T-shirt.

‘I’m not somebody who’s been whining or running around,’ Walker said. ‘We do the best with what we have and we are the most competent we can be.’

Competent indeed; but Walker and his staff recognize the difference between the short pool and what other schools have.

‘I think (the length) is a critical factor,’ he said. ‘For example: when the top kids are coming out of high school that has aspirations to compete on the national level, making a team, or the ultimate of making the Olympics, then you are looking to have an opportunity to do some long-course training.

‘From a recruiting standpoint for top-level kids, it’s an extremely important process and you are disadvantaged if you can’t provide the long pool.’

And while Walker isn’t complaining, the question still remains, when will Walker and his aquatic family get the new home it needs?

Gross said a new facility would be in the $10 million to 20 million range. With the Carrier Dome set to turn 25 this summer and an already stretched athletic budget, a pool might not be top priority.

Walker said one of his former swimmers volunteered to put up the first million dollars when the project gets rolling.

So when will it happen? Gross says soon. Walker hopes he won’t have to wait another 30 years on a project he’s been working on, for ‘as long as I’ve been doing this.’

SU assistant Jess Whitney graduated in 1997 and is now on Walker’s staff.

‘There has always been a lot of talk,’ Whitney said, ‘But only talk. Lou and Ellie keep the place in good shape. If a new pool was put in here at this school it would be a huge improvement and it would help our program immensely.’

Walker concurs: ‘It’s an issue of resource, and the allocation and availability of those resources.

‘We are behind the curve, and it is something we don’t match up with. I’d say in athletics as well as a community experience.’

Published on April 24, 2005 at 12:00 pm