Aztec Aquaplex
Another Reason to Be Proud

For the last 6 years, San Diego State University has been without a swimming pool. In just a few months, however, the years without an aquatics complex will be a distant memory.

After years of hard work by many AS directors, employees, executive officers and council members, and the passage of a referendum in April 2004, the new Aztec Aquaplex is slated to open this spring on the west side of campus.

The new $10 million dollar pool complex replaces William Terry Pool, which closed in 2000. The new complex, located next to Tony Gwynn baseball stadium and the tennis courts, will not only be state-of-the-art, but will also serve the needs of users from the campus and the surrounding community.

"People are going to be shocked when they see how nice the new pool is," said AS Campus Recreation Director Eric Huth. "This complex will be a major draw for students recreationally, athletically, socially and for relaxation. It should be on all the university's brochures to show what a great campus San Diego State is."

The complex will feature three heated pools: an Olympic-sized, 50-meter pool for lap swimming and diving; a 7,200 square foot recreational pool with a disappearing edge, which makes the water look like it flows beyond the actual boundaries of the pool, and a gentle sloping, beach-type entry; and a 20-person hydrotherapy spa. In addition, the aquaplex will also have lounge chairs and tables with umbrellas where students can sit and browse the Internet on a laptop using the complex's free Wi-Fi connection. Men's and women's locker/shower areas, offices, as well as meeting and storage rooms have also been included in the center.

Huth added that the new Aztec Aquaplex will be another vital way that the SDSU campus can connect with the surrounding community.

"Not only will this new complex be great for students and the campus, but it will be great amenity for the community as well," Huth said. "Having a great facility like this builds the bonds with the local residents that Terry Pool once did."

AS Executive Vice President Brian Hamilton called completion of the pool another victory for AS, as well as for the students, community members and faculty and staff who can use the new facility.

"We will have yet another AS facility to be proud of when the pool opens, and it's great," Hamilton said. "For a San Diego school to not have a pool seemed really odd, but soon we'll have a state-of-the-art facility. And, to be quite honest, as someone who's been a swimmer for many years, it's one of the coolest complexes I've ever seen."

The grand opening of the new complex is scheduled for March 21, 2007. For more information about the Aztec Aquaplex, call the Aztec Recreation Center at (619) 594-0200 or visiting http://aztecaquaplex.sdsu.edu.

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