Ft. Lauderdale Swimming Hall of Fame

Last weekend we were at the Ft. Lauderdale International Swimming Hall of Fame, and their impressive aquatic complex, which is midpoint of a $220 million redevelopment that is planned to be finished in 2028.

We saw it before but I had to look up why this impressive competitive arena was chosen over anywhere else in the country. According to ChatGPT in the early 1960s, Fort Lauderdale had already established itself as a premier training destination, notably hosting the College Swim Forum and international teams, making it a natural fit for the Hall of Fame.

Okay, that’s that sorted.

The reason we were there was our daughter had qualifed for an international open swim meet and a big crowd cheered on a host of Olympians, World Champions and World record holders. It was an impressive collection of swim stars and some of the times were unbelievably fast.

To watch Olympic gold medalist’s such as Leon Marchand, Katie Ledecky, Summer McIntosh, Regan Smith, Alex Walsh, Simone Manuel, Carson Foster, Chris Guiliano, Bobby Finke, Caleb Dressel, Kate Douglass and Gretchen Walsh, who broke the 100m fly world record on Saturday night, was fantastic.

That whole beachfront area of Ft Lauderdale has changed beyond recognition post Covid, but the 27-metre diving tower at the aquatic complex stands as a beacon for miles.

It is the tallest competitive dive board in the western hemisphere, and when the entire project is finished this ‘Water District’ as they are calling it will feature sleek cantilevered architecture, a high-tech interactive museum, three pools, an aquarium, restaurant, and an elevated public promenade overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Pretty cool, although I get the impression Leon Marchand could swim the 200 IM in way less than 2 minutes if he was doing it in a paddling pool.