Diving Well

If you're like me, you hear those two words as a gerund and adverb.  A description that might be used for the athlete in this picture. 

But not when Terry is describing why Maryland, and specifically Montgomery County, is positioned to attract many more scholastic and amateur aquatic competitions.  For in Terry-speak, diving well is a present participle and noun.  It is a specialized facility within a natatorium, and Maryland has some of the best.

When Terry called from his recent treasure hunt, he gave me a quick tutorial on an amazing public venue in Montgomery County I knew nothing about.  The Germantown Indoor Swim Center, located near the SoccerPlex in Boyds, is operated by the Montgomery County Department of Recreation.  Completed in 2006, it has already hosted a national diving competition and several regional swimming meets.  But the state-of-the-art facility was designed to accommodate recreational swimmers, senior citizens, children and families as well as swim teams.

Approximately 60,000 square feet in size, the swim center has a competition pool, a recreation pool, and a leisure pool, as well as two separate hydrotherapy pools.

It also has two serpentine water slides, suspended 35 feet above the interactive leisure swimming area.

What caught Terry's attention was the diving well.  This consists of two 1-meter springboards, two 3-meter springboards, and the platforms of 5, 7, and 10 meters.

It also has things like a bubbler system, a trampoline, and a dryland training area.

In short, the Germantown facility is diving nirvana.

 As you can see from these pictures, the height and the lighting in this swim park make it spacious as well as accommodating for crowds.  It is divided into sections that allow multiple uses to take place at the same time.

Naturally, Terry was touting all these attractions to the tournament groups who plan their national competitions years in advance. 

Despite its relatively recent appearance on the swim scene, this gem of a facility is pretty well known in water world.  (which means people who know that a diving well is a place and not a score.)

Anyway, I need to express my envy of the good folks in Montgomery County who have access to this beautiful facility as a quality of life amenity.  There was certainly nothing like this when I was lifeguarding in Laurel.