Canham now 'cathedral' of NCAA

There was excitement in the air last night at the newly restored Don Canham Natatorium - and not just because the air was clean.

The Michigan women's swimming and diving team christened the renovated pool with a victory over Michigan State, adding to an already jubilant evening in which the team returned to the natatorium after a nine-month layoff from the building due to repairs.

Nary an expense was spared in the restoration of the facility - from the gleaming pool tiles to the crisp American flag draped from the highest diving platform. Most impressive of all was the noticeable difference in atmosphere conditions.

"The air quality was the huge thing," Shannon Shakespeare said. "We have a few asthmatics on the team and the air in here before was really thick and didn't circulate very well. It's a big difference."

Additionally, the water in the city of Ann Arbor "causes problems when it is put in swimming pools," said natatorium aquatic director Mark Lambert.

"The safety of the swimmers and other users was of paramount importance to the Michigan Athletic Department," Lambert said. "This is an illustration of the Michigan way in that we found a means to do it better."

Other problems with the building's structural integrity, ranging from moving walls to a suspect roof, prompted the Athletic Department to proceed with the renovation in order to guarantee the quality of the building in the years to come.

"I think were looking at 30 years (before scheduled repair)," Lambert said. "It's one of the top ten collegiate facilities in the United States and I want to say it's one of the top 10 indoor facilities in the world. I'm just happy as hell about it."

For the past four months, the team has had to take a nomadic approach to training - alternating between both Pioneer and Huron High School, Eastern Michigan and even the IM swimming pool.

"It needs to be pointed out that for four months we were the 'school with no pool,'" Lambert said. "Our girl and guy swimmers swam outside in September and October when it was in the 30s."

The construction of the building began at the conclusion of the season last year and was hindered considerably by the unusually volatile weather of late.

"I think we did the best we could with the facilities that were available in Ann Arbor," women's coach Jim Richardson said. "I won't say woulda, coulda, shoulda. Everybody involved did the best they could to provide the best training environment for us and in retrospect, there isn't anything I would have done differently."

Nevertheless, Richardson is encouraged by the stability the building will lend towards the team's training regiment.

"From a training standpoint, it's better than it was when it opened the first time," Richardson said. "The air is much better, the lighting is much better. I think overall, the facility one of the best training environments in the country."

If nothing else, the new natatorium will provide a picturesque setting for swimming and diving spectators for years to come.

"If I were to re-name it, I would call it the Canham Cathedral for Swimming and Diving," Lambert said.

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