Swmmers in Du Quoin Saturday for Meet of Champions

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Du Quoin Municipal Swimming Pool takes on the look of an Olympic Village Saturday as more than 350 championship swimmers, their coaches and families from eight communities arrive here for the Southern Illinois swim championships. Between 1,000 and 1,200 people are expected in Du Quoin.

The water is crystal clear and records that have withstood the test of time are expected to fall. Du Quoin pool manager and assistant swimming Indians coach Nicole Heape has a championship swim record herself that has stood for 19 years since her 12-year swimming career ended.

She said facility preparations, concessions planning and meet organization work have been going on around the clock for the past week.

Swimmers will start arriving in Du Quoin around 6:30 a.m. for 7 a.m. practice. Some 362 heat competitors will head for the starting blocks at 9 a.m. The last heats should be raced at around 4 p.m.

Grounds around the pool are being double cut--mowed once on Monday and will be completely mowed again on Friday.

The meet is rotated between the eight communities in the league each summer--Du Quoin, Marion, Herrin, Mount Vernon, Centralia, Anna, Salem and Harrisburg. This is Du Quoin's year.

The pool underwent a $100,000 plumbing, filtration and patio renovation last year courtesy the City of Du Quoin and its park board. This year the Harris Family Christian Foundation wrote a $10,000 check to accomplish the complete renovation of the bath houses at the pool.

It has been an extreme makeover that has made the facility far better and far nicer than even when it was opened as Armstrong Municipal Pool in 1979. Back then, Mayor Robert Armstrong, the Du Quoin Park Board and members of the 1976 Bicentennial Commission had a recreational vision for Du Quoin.

A facility that was Du Quoin's crown jewel of recreation fell on hard times because of disrepair, leaks and equipment malfunctions. Attendance dwindled. Hosting swim meets was sometimes an embarrassment. Two pools in Southern Illinois have closed because of similar problems. Most were built during the same era.

What a difference a year can make. Some days during the pool's popular "Quarter Night" there are upwards of 170 swimmers at the facility.

The Du Quoin City Council, the Du Quoin Park Board and the Kurt Harris Family Christian Foundation made a huge commitment to restore this beautiful facility to its original 1979 condition.

In no small way the credit goes to plumber Randy Shivley, park board member Josh Downs and Du Quoin city administrator Blaine Bastien along with a small army of volunteers headed by pool manager Nicole Heape.

Old copper plumbing was removed and sold for scrap to buy even more paint so the baths take on a fresh Indian red and black look with white trim. Randy has installed all new timed faucets and metered showers that shut off automatically even if swimmers forget to.

New toilets and urinals in the restrooms are water efficient. Handicapped toilets were redone. There are new toilet stalls throughout.

All walls and floors have been repainted with commercial coatings. Most of the labor was donated.

Floor drains have been cut out, cleaned and replaced. The pool itself underwent a $100,000-plus renovation that included cutting out patios around the pool to repair underground plumbing and sidewall supports to the stainless steel walls and sills that wrap around the pool. Pool manager Nicole Heape has taken it upon herself to be educated on the environmental issues that a municipal pool poses.

"We've been lucky," said Heape of the crystal clear competition pool.Large motors that recycle the water through the filtration and chlorine systems have been replaced. If money is left over, the pool hopes to buy a hydraulic lift so disabled or infirmed swimmers can use the pool.

Dozens of tents will be set up on the grounds to shield swimmers and their families from the heat. Tents are coming from as far away as John A. Logan College.

A new entrance is being cut into the chain link fence on the east side of the pool, allowing swimmers instant access when they are called to the starting blocks.

Electrician Mike Davison of Davison Electric has been on the grounds for two days installing a new electrical service in the park pavilion on the east side. That was necessary to accommodate the large food stand which is being set up for swimmers.

Volunteers will work throughout the night Friday clearing labeling team areas.

Bleachers have been moved. Spectator seating will grow.

Donations of every kind are arriving to make this a successful event for Du Quoin and guest swimmers.

This year's swim team has a loyal following among parents. Mr. and Mrs. Monte Kuhnert have volunteered their time and resources to the success of this meet. They have also blueprinted much of the day's schedule of events.

The organization is unimaginable. Judges, timekeepers, safety personnel and security will all be in place for the meet.

There will be a residual economic benefit for Du Quoin. Throughout the day, swimmers and their families will seek the air conditioned comfort of the town's restaurants, fill up their cars, trucks and SUVs at our gas marts and buy anything they forgot to pack Friday night.

It goes without saying that the City of Du Quoin congratulates the Swimming Indians on their 6-1 season to date and wishes you luck on Saturday.