West Fargo Dives Deep with New Aquatic Center By: Erin Hemme Froslie If you’ve ever wanted to swim in the same lanes as the elite, you don’t have to travel far. Go and splash away at the Hulbert Aquatic Center in West Fargo. The center’s 54-meter pool was used in the 2016 Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska. It’s where swimmers like Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, Ryan Murphy and Lilly King battled for a spot on the Olympic team roster before gold medals were draped around their necks. Now the pool is the centerpiece of a community aquatic center that features flexible pool space for competition, fun, water safety education, training, exercise, and more. There’s something for
everyone from splashing toddlers to high-level competitors. The center’s highlights include a competitive pool; a warm water lesson pool perfect for swimming lessons and water activities like yoga and aerobics; and a dryland training room for divers. “Our supporters knew there was a need for an indoor swimming facility that would serve different ages and interests,” says Chad Day, the center’s director. “We’re always looking for ways to invite people here.” The Hulbert Aquatic Center was a long-held dream for swimming enthusiasts in the metro area who wanted to boost growing interest in
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swimming and diving. UP Aquatics, a regional group of swim supporters, won the bid to purchase the Olympic Trials pool that had been assembled at the Century Link Center in Omaha. Historically, these pools are auctioned off, taken apart and moved to permanent locations. The one that landed in West Fargo was purchased to upgrade the pool at L.E. Berger Elementary School. “The previous pool had been built in the ’70s,” Day says. “It was good for its time, but it had outlived its usefulness.” The new pool – equipped with additional amenities like six regulation diving boards and
