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Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center Capital Campaign

Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center Needs Your Help

From Jay Coleman, Head Swim Coach, Oshkosh YMCA

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Updated September 06, 2010
We finished a recent team meeting with "Relays have to mean more to you than individual events because they are about everyone." I want the swimmers on our relays to have this mentality. If my team is ahead when I dive in it is my responsibility to stay ahead, if my team is behind when I dive in it is my responsibility to get ahead. That is not as common as you might think. I want swimmers who are willing to take responsibility for the group's success, not just their own success. I want swimmers who believe that acting on the behalf of others is more important and more rewarding than acting only for themselves. Why am I sharing this? Read on...

The Schroeder YMCA and the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center have undergone some major changes in the past year. The Milwaukee YMCA, which runs the Schroeder branch, has been under significant financial stress. The Milwaukee YMCA determined that it was not possible to run the Schroeder Aquatic Center and fulfill its other obligations at the same time. When this decision was made there were only two possible futures for the Schroeder Aquatic Center: demolish it or have it taken over by another entity. Co-head coaches of the Schroeder YMCA Swim Team, Dave Anderson and Matt Miller, choose the later over the former. Dave and Matt put together a non-profit group to purchase and run the Aquatic Center. This group, the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center Ltd.(WSAC), is fighting for the survival of this facility, but it needs broader support than just local swimmers.

What would swimming in Wisconsin be like without the WSAC? Where would we be today if we had not had the WSAC for the last 30 years?

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