Total Swimming and Olympic Stars Launch Plymouth's New 50 metre Pool
Thursday 26 April 2012 at 16:09Total Swimming was on hand to deliver a special Oceans of Funevent to celebrate the launch of Plymouth's fantastic new leisure complex, the Plymouth Life Centre. Olympic medallists Jo Jackson and David Davies, plus Total Swimming's own Steve Parry, took part in a celebration at the new 50 metre pool as part of a special weekend of activities on the 24th March.
The Plymouth Life Centre, which is managed by Plymouth City Council with Everyone Active leisure centres, will be the training venue for World and Commonwealth diving gold medallist Tom Daley as he prepares for the London 2012 Olympics.
Daley said, “Plymouth Life Centre is a fantastic venue and the Olympic pool and diving pool are both excellent. “I’m honoured to be able to use these facilities for my training and London 2012 preparation but I’m just as pleased to see such superb facilities made available to swimmers and divers of all abilities. I feel really fortunate to have this great new venue here in Plymouth, the Centre will be an important legacy of London 2012.”
State of the Art Venue
The £46.5 million build houses world class aquatic facilities including a 10 lane, 50 metre competition swimming pool and diving pool with diving boards at 3 metres, 5 metres, 7.5 metres and 10 metres, video playback facility and bubble release technology for reducing diver impact. The main pool can be split to make three 25m pools for maximum flexibility, offering a wide range of activities from traditional swimming sessions to water polo and synchronised swimming. There is also a family leisure pool with flumes, beach entry and bubble pool.
Olympians Star in Oceans of Fun Launch Event
Fitting for such a fantastic new venue, the launch of the aquatic facilities at the Plymouth Life Centre featured a number of Great Britain's biggest aquatics stars, including several Olympic hopefuls. As well as Jackson, Davies and Parry, the launch event also featured Fran Leighton, the GB Women’s Water Polo captain, Kelly-Anne Russell, the GB Synchronised Swim Coach, and Rebecca MacEnri one of Great Britain's top synchronised swimmers.
Jo Jackson, who won Olympic bronze in the 400 metres free at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, enjoyed swimming sessions with children from the city in the 50 metre swimming pool.
Jackson said: "We've had so much fun. The facilities are fantastic and really incredible. I didn't think it would be this big but it's great timing, right before the Olympics. It doesn't matter what age you are, adults and children can come down and get involved in a sport they're not used to."
2008 Olympic 10k Open Water silver medallist David Davies said, "I'm honoured to be down for the opening, and with the Olympics a lot of people are talking about how to get involved in sport so this is the perfect way to start. There are plenty of reasons to get involved - for active participation or leisure, just take advantage of it."
Fran Leighton also took part in activities in the pool, which has a movable floor to incorporate teaching, fitness and general swimming. She said: "It's absolutely fantastic here. Children can now get involved in sports they have never been a part of before and who knows in Rio 2016 there could be new Tom Daleys."
The event Plymouth Life Centre is the second major swimming pool launch Total Swimming has delivered for Everyone Active leisure centres in less than a year, following the opening of the 50 metre pool at Basildon Sporting Village in April 2011.
Everyone Active is a brand of Sports Leisure Management (SLM), which operates 77 leisure venues across the UK in partnership with 26 local authorities.
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