Does SIZE matter? The 25-yard standard

Early voting begins Monday, October 24. Election day is Tuesday, November 8. Where to vote? See links in box to the right. The D200 Referendum question appears LAST at the very END of the ballot. The question refers only to the $25 million bond issue, not the full cost of the project. VOTE NO.

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Much has been made about the size of the pool, both in the original proposal for a 50-meter (Olympic-size) pool and the current 40-meter “stretch” pool. Some might suggest that OPRFHS aquatic teams lack competitiveness with other schools because our current pools are 25 yards long and schools like York and Lyons Twp. have “stretch” pools. So does it matter? Let’s take a look at the information posted on the the high school website FAQ page… 

First, note that 25 yards is the standard lap distance in high school aquatics. At the college level it is different, but we are a high school, not a college!  Also, Leyden (E/W) Morton (E/W) and LT have 2 campuses, so two pools is really just one pool per campus.

(source:www.oprfhs.org/facilities/Frequently-Asked-Questions.cfm -second question down in the right-hand column)
More data on pool comparisons is on p. 25 here: www.oprfhs.org/board-of-education/documents/NatatoriumProposal.pdf  

Perennial top program Hinsdale Central has a 25-yard, SIX lane pool.  Their boys' team won the state title in February 2015.

Chicago Tribune article

Another consistent top finisher at the state level is New Trier. The pool on their main campus is an 8-lane, 25-yard pool that is 80 years old!  It has an advantage over the OPRFHS pools in that it was built with extremely wide decks, and has been remodeled over the years to keep up with changing codes.

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