Given the times, the administration of Laurentian University is expected to face a number of very difficult decisions, determining priorities that are often based, in large part, on current financial constraints.
The Sudbury swim community is hoping to make one decision a little easier, or at very least, ensure that the repercussions of said decision are fully understood.
"We had initially heard rumour that the pool (Jeno Tihanyi Olympic Gold Pool at Laurentian University) was safe to open as we moved from Phase 2 to Phase 3," noted Voyageur varsity swimmer Abby McDonald, a graduate of Marymount Academy who completed her freshman season with the L.U. varsity women's team last spring.
"Across Ontario, we were hearing about pools opening, pools opening. We kept waiting for the go ahead for our pool, and then we heard there were maintenance issues until it finally came down to hearing that we are not even sure if they are going to open the pool or not."
With no firm opening date released for the university training site, McDonald and long-time Sudbury Laurentian Swim Club teammate Nina Kucheran were moved to action. "We created a letter to let the board of governors at Laurentian know why the pool is so important to us," said McDonald.
"Then we created a petition, because we understand that opening the pool is not only important to just us, it's important to the entire swimming community in Sudbury. That was basically the foundation of it."
An initial goal of collecting 1000 on-line signatures has been exceeded, with just over 1100 folks showing their support. McDonald is pleased, but not surprised. "Our hope is that if we could get enough people to support the issue, it might cause them to re-think opening the pool," she said.
"I've been swimming since I was eight years old. It's not just a sport, it's a lifestyle. For me, you get up in the morning, you have your coffee and you go to the pool. That's just how my life works. From August to August, every single year, that's how I got about my daily life."
"That's the same for a lot of the swimmers on the Sudbury Laurentian Swim Club."
Still, the issue runs a lot deeper than simply the passion of the athletes. According to Laurentian head swim coach Phil Parker, who fully understands and appreciates the financial constraints facing the university, the pool appears to be an odd choice for the chopping block on the expense side of the ledger.
"I have been here since 1999, as coach, and the university has been amazing, even through financial hardships," conceded the man who was recognized as OUA Coach of the Year during the 2019-2020 swim season. "I just wish I knew what the hold-up was. I think the value of the pool, even to the outside community, is pretty well known."
"It's not just about the varsity athletes. From what we know right now, and I'm not 100% sure, but I believe that it's 18 of the 21 universities (in Ontario) have released opening dates for their pool. They want to open the pools for the mental health and well-being of those students that are on campus, for the faculty who want to use it at lunch to swim, and obviously for the revenues that are generated from clubs that use the pool."
When it comes to the Laurentian facility, primary user groups, all of whom pay to use the pool, would include: Sudbury Laurentian Swim Club, Sudbury Synchro, Laurentian Masters Swimming, not to mention two scuba diving clubs and a program which serves special needs children.
"I don't know exactly what it costs to run the pool, I don't know exactly what everybody brings in, in terms of revenue, but I don't believe they are miles apart," said Parker. "Let's say it costs $180,000/year to run the pool. The facility brings in $150,000 to $160,000. It doesn't seem to be that much to provide a service for other students, staff and the community."
Of course, the above-noted figures do not included any portion of the roughly $20,000 in revenues generated for each varsity athlete that chooses to attend Laurentian, in order to compete with the Voyageur swim team (the $20,000 figure, I was told, is based on an average tuition that an L.U. student would provide, plus the matching government funding that is allocated on a per student basis).
"Everything is on-line this year, so it's very easy for any swimmer to transfer," said Parker. "They would have to move back home, but once they do, it wouldn't take much to get set-up at another university. I don't want to say all, but at least three quarters of them will transfer to a school where they can swim."
A quick glance at the 2019-2020 rosters for the Voyageur men's and women's swim teams would suggest that somewhere between 40 and 50 students athletes could potentially opt to leave Sudbury.
"If we hear that the pool is not opening until next September, I would have to consider my other options," McDonald admitted. "Swimming is what helps make the school for me. I love the swim team more than I love anything else about the school. I think a lot of people will look at other options."
Parker, for one, does not believe the ask is too great in order to salvage the venue for all involved. "We are a winter sport," he said, acknowledging the OUA decision to cancel all competitive varsity activities until at least January of 2021. "If we can't compete in the fall, that's fine. We are still hoping that in January and February, we are good to go for provincial championships - same as hockey, same as basketball."
"We just need the pool for training" - a pool that, at the moment, sits in darkness, much like the user groups that use it the most.
