By Seth Goldman
For the first time in at least 15 years, Zanuck Swimming Stadium was finally refurbished. Over time the chemicals in the water had eroded the plaster on the bottom of the pool, Head of Athletics Audrius Barzdukas said. There were also cracks in the concrete around the pool.
The pool was simply not up to the standards of the school and did not create a good athletic environment, Barzdukas said.
“A little bit of Botox wasnât going to work,” Barzdukas said. “We needed to give the pool a facelift.”
The servicing, which included re-plastering the entire pool, was a significant construction project. As a result, it presented a scheduling conflict with the summer activities that took place at the pool, most notably boysâ water polo practice.
Construction began on Aug. 1, the beginning of the mandatory three week dead period in which practices do not take place. However, it lasted longer than three weeks, so the water polo team practiced at Oaks Christian Schoolâs Olympic-sized pool until construction finished Aug. 28.
The team usually practices at the pool at Zanuck Stadium, but has been displaced by the construction period. They are forced to play at Oaks Christian, as well as play games and scrimmages at other facilities.
“We lose practice time on Wednesday and Friday [when we play at Oaks Christian], but it is nice to get out of our comfort zones. Itâs more of a game situation when we play at a different pool,” water polo player Russell Martin â10 said.
The team was at Oaks Christian during last weekâs “hell week” of multiple, intense daily practices. The team opens up their season on Friday with a match against Serra.
