Colony High students, community need a splash

Many community members feel that having a pool at Colony High School would benefit the area. Swimming helps prevent drowning and other water dangers, it would offer another physical education opportunity for students, and makes an excellent recreational activity for the entire public.

“It’s been my dream that Colony would have a pool, not just for the swim program but another teaching area as well. I also look at the safety aspect, we live in Alaska and there are way too many drownings,” said Colony health teacher and swim team coach, Dawn Brettrager. “The biggest reason people don’t swim is because they don’t know how, they’ve never learned, and they are afraid of the water. The worst that could happen if you picked up a basketball is you miss. In swimming you could drown.”

Other Colony teachers were eager to share their thoughts as well. “Absolutely we need a pool,” said Michael Boyd, the school’s athletic director. “We have the largest swim team in the Valley and we’re the only school with a swim team and no pool. I am 100 percent behind Colony getting a pool. Colony having our own pool would relieve pressures at other schools and help divide time with the public.”

He also noted the lack of water space. “The pools we do have can’t support the meets we want to have. We need one that could meet fire codes.”

Swim meets such as region championships or Alaska State Championships are left to large pools like Bartlett High in Anchorage. For the swim meets at the Valley pools, competition is limited because of deck space and regulations.

“When we were in Kodiak for football, I saw they’re building a new pool. It upsets me that they support their youths’ sports and here we say there are already pools at Wasilla and Palmer,” said football coach and physical education teacher, Tom Lincoln. “I would love to see it.”

A pool wouldn’t only help citizens within the Colony district.

“I think a pool would bring in revenue. It would be unrealistic to assume the swim teams would be the only people using the pool, the community would too,” said junior Garrett Pace. Brettrager and Boyd agreed. They think competitions would bring in visitors who would need places to stay, transportation, and food that could help the local economy.

Along with swim meets, the pool would open up more job opportunities, offer another location for lap swim, water aerobic classes, swim lessons, rentals, divers, kayakers, and organizations like Special Olympics.

To build a pool at Colony High, students, parents and community members need to take their voices to legislature. “It would take a large group of people to recognize we need a pool,” said Brettrager.

Kayla Anderson is a sophomore at Colony High School.