Life aquatic comes to Mizzou

Starting 5:30 a.m. on Monday, Missouri students can enter a jungle, float around a lazy river, spin around in a massive vortex, and swim under a waterfall surrounded by palm-trees.

Mizzou students, faculty, and staff can relax in the Tiger Grotto, a palm-tree-lined leisure pool that features a 20-person hot tub, wet and dry saunas, a lazy river that wraps around a swirling vortex and runs by a waterfall, and a16-foot digital entertainment board capable of showing ZouTV, cable TV, and playing Xbox games.

People can also swim laps in the eight-lane, 50-meter competition pool within the Mizzou Aquatics Center.

“It sounds awesome,” said Patricia Coble, a senior majoring in secondary English Education. “I’m probably going to rotate, one day work out and one day swim.”

The diving boards and platform tower will be closed to the public, but students and faculty can swim laps in the separate diving well and look down at the tiger-head mosaic at the bottom.

The outdoor Truman Pond is scheduled to be finished in late-July and features an oval pool with beach-style entry, on-deck showers, a bubblepool, a raised-hearth fireplace, and another digital entertainment board.

The Aquatics Center also features a jungle-themed lobby with the Red Hall Beverage Company, a concession stand operated by campus dinning that should be open by fall semester. The facility also features a smaller concession stand by the west entrance called the Thirsty Tiger.

The Aquatics Center will also feature a spa, which should be up and running by late fall.

During summer session the pools will be open 5:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. on weekends.

Students and faculty are excited by the new facility for the variety of services it provides.

Senior Chad Dysvick, an international business major said he hopes to get a chance to swim in the Olympic-sized competition pool.

“I work out everyday,” Dysvick said. “I’ll probably use the competition pool regularly. I might hang out in the leisure pool (Tiger Grotto) a couple of times.”

Coble, a transfer senior from CMSU, said she looks forward to swimming in both pools.

“I’m excited because at CMSU it was hard to use the pool because it was always reserved for sporting events,” Coble said. “So was the recreation complex, but I’ve noticed at MU it’s easy to get in.”

Coble said she is also excited about the Tiger Grotto, especially with all its features.

Ian Aberbach, a member of the Math department’s faculty, said even though he hates to swim, his 5-year-old daughter, Raya, will use the pool.

“She goes to Children’s House and is signed up for swim lessons to start next week,” Aberbach said. “She’s excited. She did them last year.”

David Sheahen, part of Mizzou’s facilities’ planning and development, swims three or four times a week in the old Natatorium.

“I’ve been swimming with the Master’s team for three years,” Sheahen said. “If I miss a practice, I usually swim on my own.”

Sheahen said the old pool did not offer enough hours for him to easily fit swimming into his schedule.

“With the expanded hours there will be more opportunity to go to the pool,” Seahen said. “So if I have a late meeting or something, I have an opportunity to swim in the mornings.”

Diane Dahlmann, director of Mizzou Rec Services and Facilities describes the facility as bigger and better.

“The facility offers more to students,” Dahlmann said. “We want to begin to offer next generation activities such as aqua jogging, aqua walking, aqua aerobics. Feedback from students has been profoundly positive.”

Dahlmann said Tiger Grotto is specifically designed for students.

“At the end of the day, the students have been studying and working hard,” Dahlmann said. “They can come here and relax. It’s an escape, like spring break.”

“The point is context,” Dahlmann said. “This pool is designed for an 18 to 25-year-old market. This pool is for them.”

Dahlmann said only 65percent of the facilities’ operating costs are covered by student fees. The remaining 35percent must be covered by non-student memberships. These include faculty, staff, and alumni.

Dan Shipp, the senior associate director of Mizzou Rec Services and Facilities, said he was brought in to work with student leaders to come up with the tiger theme of the building.

“We used some of the existing facilities and newer facilities being built across the country to help build perspective,” Shipp said. “But yet, our students were telling us those aren’t original or unique buildings. They are more like large warehouses with equipment in them and basketball and volleyball courts.”

Shipp said that students wanted to be entertained and engaged, and they wanted the facility to have a unique Missouri Tiger theme.

“We’re probably lucky if you think about other campuses and what their mascots are,” Shipp said. “We’re fortunate that the Tiger theme blends nicely into the jungle setting of the Grotto.”

“I’m not sure you could do that if you are a Nebraska Cornhusker,” Shipp said.