At the 25-yard community pool in San Carlos that Gulf Coast swimmers used to call home, there was barely enough room for a high school meet, let alone the almost 600-swimmer event that starts today at the Lee County/FGCU Aquatics Center in San Carlos Park.
"This wasn't an area known for hosting prime meets,"said GCST director Don Henshaw.
"Even when the FGCU pool opened, we still had trouble getting teams to come here."
Henshaw, however, believed in his coaches and staff, and in the facilities at FGCU. So off he went, meeting face to face with coaches from swim clubs in Gainesville, Sarasota and Fort Lauderdale - selling them on the big-meet potential he had in south Lee County.
Myrtha Pools, the same company that has designed pools for the U.S. Olympic Trials and the swimming world championships, designed the pool at FGCU which opened in 2004. Its deep waters, wide lanes, wake-proof lane lines and wave-absorbing gutters make the 50-meter FGCU pool exceptionally fast.
And swimmers throughout the state have taken note.
This weekend's Open is one of two 500- to 600-swimmer meets the GCST hosts each year. It has hosted the Florida Senior Championships and the Florida junior olympics. Gulf Coast also hosts a range of smaller meets throughout the year.
"Every year, I'd say we bring in 700 to 800 swimmers from outside the area," Henshaw said.
"The year we hosted the junior olympics, the Lee County Sports Authority estimated we had a $2 million impact from swimming alone that year."
Estero High graduate and future University of Florida swimmer Molly DuBrasky remembers the old days at the San Carlos community pool. She also remembers spending hours in the family car driving to regional meets around South Florida.
Not so any longer.
"There's still a lot of big, championship meets we have to travel to, but it's nice to be home more," DuBrasky said.
"We make money by having the meet and we save money by not having to travel, so it's really nice. It's win-win."
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