Canham gets a face-lift

No diving, please.

At least not until the University's Donald Canham Natatorium is finished with its renovations. The University allocated $7 million for the construction.

The course of construction is "within our budget right now," said Mike Stevenson, executive senior associate athletic director.

Stevenson said many different aspects of the Natatorium need to be completed, such as renovations to the roof, tiling for the pool, installing of steam pipes to heat the entire building and fixing the overal control mechanisms of the facility, such as air-conditioning and the control of water.

ANDREW YOUNG/Daily The Canham Natatorium diving well is filled, not with water as it usually is, but with scaffolding, as the whole facility to undergoes renovations last week.

Stevenson said the renovations need to be coordinated with each other.

"I think it's that all of the different aspects have got to come together," Stevenson said.

If the different parts of renovation are not completed in the right order it might cause serious problems, Stevenson said.

We don't want to "build something and then have to tear it down," Stevenson said.

The Natatorium was first completed in 1989.

The estimated cost was $8.5 million and the facility is considered among the finest college-owned swimming and diving buildings in the nation by students and athletes.

LSA junior Randall Johnson said last year he lived near the natatorium and enjoyed swimming at the pool every day.

"The natatorium is beautiful," Johnson said.

Johnson said he felt the changes will improve the facility.

"The renovations that they will be doing will probably attract more students," Johnson said.

Johnson said students "know that the natatorium exists, but I am not sure they visit it."

The natatorium was built to allow student athletes the opportunity to excel athletically at the facilities. Since the completion of the natatorium, the Wolverines have won 14 combined Big Ten Conference titles and many Academic All-Big Ten honors.

The natatorium consists of 59,000-square-feet of space and contains a 50-meter pool, eight lanes wide. It is divided into two separate 25-yard pools by movable bulkheads.

The west end of the natatorium consists of a diving well with an Olympic Tower, a hot tub and one-and three-meter springboards.

University Alumnus Daniel Newman said he belonged to a club which used the natatorium for practice.

"It was a great place," Newman said. "I loved doing laps there."

Newman added that many should try to visit the natatorium after the renovations are done.

"I'll always remember the natatorium fondly ," Newman said.

Many club and college swimming and diving competitions take place at the natatorium. The facility can hold 1,200 spectators.

The natatorium was the site of the 1993 U.S. Open and the 1994 U.S. Junior Nationals.

The University's natatorium has hosted numerous national-and conference-level swimming and diving events.

In 1996, the Women's NCAA National Championships were held at the facility.

- Daily Sports Editor Rick Freeman contributed to this report.

08-10-98