From Mat Luebbers,
Your Guide to Swimming.
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The stage is set and the two super powers of swimming—the United States (Team USA) and Australia (Telstra Dolphins)—are ready to go head-to-head during the second annual Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool on August 2.

Considered competitive swimming’s version of the Super Bowl, this USA Swimming event will be hosted by the City of Irvine’s William Woollett Jr. Aquatic Complex (WWJAC), one of the newest and largest aquatic centers in southern California.

The WWJAC is an ideal facility for this dream team match-up. Opened in 2004 and designed by California architecture firm Carrier Johnson, the complex includes three outdoor pools designed by Carlsbad, California’s Aquatic Design Group (ADG). Following are some WWJAC “Fast Pool” Facts:

• The 25-yard by 50-meter by seven-foot deep competition pool has eight long-course and 17 short-course swimming lanes and holds 654,100 gallon of water.
• The 25-yard by 50-meter by five to 13-foot deep multi-purpose pool has eight long-course and 17 short-course swimming lanes and holds 798,092 gallons of water.
• The 25-yard by 25-meter 10-lane instructional pool holds 160,800 gallons of water.
• Approximately two miles of pipe and 41,850 cubic feet of concrete were used in the construction of the three pools. That’s enough concrete to build a four-foot wide sidewalk nearly five miles long.
• Using a regular garden hose, it would take about 436 hours to fill the competition pool, 532 hours to fill the multi-purpose pool and 107 hours to fill the instructional pool.
• Three pumps—totaling 130 horsepower—produce a combined flow rate of 5,375 gallons per minute through the three pools’ filtration systems. That’s fast enough to empty a typical backyard pool in less than five minutes.
• Five pool heaters have a combined output of 10,350,000 BTU’s, which could heat six average sized homes per day during a winter in Buffalo, New York.
• The water chemistry control system samples pool water every three seconds, automatically adjusting chemical feed pumps to provide required chlorine and water pH based upon fluctuations in swimmer load.

“When the two best teams in the world go head to head, you want one of the finest venues the country has to offer,” said Randy Mendioroz, principal of ADG. “Our design team engineered the pools for blistering speed and we anticipate that the spectators will see some record-breaking performances by these world-class athletes.”

About Duel in the Pool/USA Swimming
The second edition of the Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool takes place on August 2, 2005. The event will be televised by NBC Sports and air on August 6 from 4-6 p.m. and August 7 from 12:30-2 p.m. For more information, visit www.duelinthepool.com.

USA Swimming
As the National Governing Body for competitive swimming in the United States, USA Swimming formulates the rules, implements policies and procedures, conducts national championships, disseminates safety and sports medicine information and selects athletes to represent the United States in international competition. USA Swimming has more than 300,000 members nationwide and sanctions more than 7,000 events each year. For more information, visit www.usaswimming.org.

About Aquatic Design Group
Founded 20 years ago, Aquatic Design Group is a rapidly growing Carlsbad, California-based firm specializing in the design and engineering of innovative swimming pools and water features for competitive, recreational and leisure-based aquatic facilities. The firm has designed more than 2,000 water-based projects, among them competitive facilities for the 2004 Olympic Swim Trials Venue in Long Beach, the UC Davis Schaal Aquatic Center, and the UC Santa Barbara Rec-Cen/Aquatics Complex. Current design commissions include the Canyonview Recreation Center Expansion at U.C. San Diego and the Aztec AquaPlex for San Diego State University. For more information, call 760.438.8400 or visit www.aquaticdesigngroup.com.

Press Release Source: USA Swimming