With swim season just around the corner, the Westside athletic department has purchased new equipment to improve the team’s training. Included in the purchase are new swim blocks. Swim coach Doug Krecklow is glad to see the 15 year old blocks being replaced.

“They [the swim blocks] were originally installed in the shallow end, but when the National high school rules committee adopted different safety guidelines we moved them to the deep end several years ago,” Krecklow said. “The older blocks were used extensively during competition and practice and were becoming a stability and safety issue. After considerable review of the various ways to recondition them, the decision was made instead to replace them.”

Not only will the swimmers feel safer using these new blocks, but they will provide the swimmers with significant improvement in stability due to rigid design and construction of the blocks.

“The new blocks have a larger platform that will allow swimmers to use the style of start they are most comfortable with,” Krecklow said. “ Additionally, the new blocks have an adjustable angular “fin” on the platform surface that will give swimmers the ability to place a foot against it to improve their start position and achieve greater horizontal force when executing their preferred start.”

The Westside athletic department, high school swim parents and Swim Omaha (a club swim program that uses the Westside pool year round) worked together to purchase the new blocks. Swim Omaha is also helping to purchase five new lane lines for the pool. There are not any more improvements planned at this time.