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 (Photo by E.J. Greenblat) caption:
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PHS Swimming Enjoys New Home; Opens Witherspoon Pool With Win
By Bill Alden
Greg Hand behaved like a nervous home buyer last week as his Princeton High swimming team christened its new pool at the John Witherspoon School with a meet against Steinert.
The longtime head coach of the program walked around the perimeter of the pool, checking every nook and cranny of the facility as both his boys and girls swimmers easily beat the Spartans on December 14.
Hand meandered into the glassed-in observation room at one end of the facility to ensure that the high-tech, computerized Colorado Time Systems scoreboard was working.
He talked to people in the standing-room only crowd which overflowed the pool's seating capacity of 143 in its three rows of bleachers.
Fortunately, Hand had just a few items to add to the punch list for his team's new digs. The scoreboard system worked well although the team score part of the board still needs to be figured out and the clock kept ticking for some lanes when swimmers didn't touch the pad on the wall of the pool.
In addition to the seating not being sufficient for the large opening day crowd, the swimmers had to make do as their benches weren't yet on the premises.
In Hand's view, these were minor glitches in the big scheme of things as he assessed the gleaming facility, which is mainly a bright white with some blue and red sections. "We love it," said Hand, referring to the pool. "It's a terrific training environment."
Previously, the team did most of its training in the pool in the basement of Princeton University's Dillon Gym. While the program had a lot of success with that pool as its home base, Hand has already seen a difference in his team's training intensity.
"We get much more done because we spend less time in transit," said Hand, whose boys' team have won four straight Central Jersey sectional crowns and whose girls team placed second in the state Public B tournament last season.
"We are also able to schedule a healthy practice session everyday. At the University, we usually had between 75 and 90 minutes for practice. As far as training goes, the new pool is as good as it gets, in my opinion."
In addition to helping his swimmers get sharper this season, Hand believes the facility will have a longer term benefit for the program.
"I think hopefully after this season when high school kids come see us at home meets and middle school kids are aware that we are here from the hallways or stopping into watch meets, they will take an interest," asserted Hand.
No matter how many swimmers are drawn to the team by the new pool, Hand and his program have clearly achieved that classic home buyer goal – location, location, location.
"We have a home," said a smiling Hand. "It's great to walk 200 yards and say you are home. I think we'll even be able to make it in the snow."
