We are delighted to provide you with an update on the status of the Carmel Swim Academy (CSA) project. Though we experienced a bit of a delay (as with many things this year!) we are now moving full steam ahead with construction. Carmel Swim Club’s goal has always been to help develop central Indiana children to lead successful and meaningful lives. Swimming just happens to be the vehicle through which we achieve this personal growth, as depicted in our mission statement, “teaching excellence through swimming, for life.”
The time has come for us to live out our mission more fully at the community level – to share our expertise and grow our programs to ensure every child in central Indiana has the opportunity to learn how to swim, a lifesaving and necessary skill. We are building the Carmel Swim Academy to provide us with the necessary space to expand our programs to meet the demand and the needs of our community. While we currently have an amazing swim lessons program, we have been extremely limited in our available space to offer this essential program to more children. Moreover, we have had to limit the number of athletes in some of our younger training groups due to constraints on available water and practice times. CSA will help us solve these critical issues for our club.
The Carmel Swim Academy will be Carmel Swim Club’s own pool. CSA will provide us with a separate, safe space to connect young children with the sport, to engage our youngest Carmel Swim Club athletes in a welcoming practice environment, and expand our continuum of aquatics programs for adults, empowering us to meet the “for life” component of our mission in a more meaningful way than ever before. In addition to swim lessons, CSC 10 & Under groups will practice here regularly. CSA will provide a steady stream of athletes prepared to take the next steps with their swimming through Carmel Swim Club, enhancing the foundation for our program’s continued success.
CSA will be located in the heart of Carmel at 820 City Center Drive, adjacent to the Carmel Total Fitness facility. The pool will be 25-yards and offer six lanes, as well as a zero-entry shallow water bump out, ideal for instruction of the youngest swimmers. The water will be warm, and the whole feel of the pool will be welcoming. There is a mezzanine level with windows looking down on the pool for optimized viewing. The pool should be open for programming in the fall of 2021.
We are fundraising to make this project a reality. Carmel Swim Club will contribute funds, which have long been earmarked for construction of a new facility, towards the CSA, but the vast majority of necessary money for construction will be garnered through a multi-faceted capital campaign effort. We are reaching out to our network of alumni and their families, community stakeholder and corporations, and grant-making institutions to raise these funds. We have a range of naming opportunities available for the pool, but all levels of contribution will make an impact on completing this project. If you are interested in making a contribution to help jumpstart this important step and exciting opportunity for our organization, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or to our Director of Business Development, Maggie Mestrich.