Lab School Set to Close Pool

By Reach for the Wall Staff.

The message below was distributed by Potomac Valley Swimming as a call for the swim community to show their support to keep the Lab School swimming pool in operation.

Dear PVS Families,

As a parent of the Lab School and SDS Board member, I am writing to inform you about a potentially terrible situation in which Lab School of Washington is considering shutting down their aquatic facilities forever in spring 2018. This information came as a shock to the SDS Board, Coaches and even Lab’s local neighborhood swim community, with which we share pool time. Lab’s pool has been open since 2001 and our swimmers have been part of everyday life since then. SDS has always had a strong relationship with Lab’s senior school officials and aquatic staff. Over the years, SDS leadership has always provided a positive environment for both our swimmers and Lab School students to train jointly, as well as teaching swim clinics and basic fundamentals during school hours as part of their curriculum. Out of SDS’s six training sites in which our club provides services, the Lab School is one of the most sought after year after year. Its convenient location between the DC, Maryland, and Virginia areas has driven the growth of our club over the past several years by allowing us to offer a suitable location and practice hours to a wide range of families and their swimmers. Currently, SDS has over 155 swimmers at this site and we hold practices there every day of the week.

How can you help? I am asking you to sign the online petition – Save Lab School Pool Petition, asking the Lab School of Washington to reconsider its position.

Additionally, we strongly encourage you to attend the community town hall meeting scheduled to be held on March 21 at 6:30 pm at the Lab School’s Reservoir Road campus. As swim programs grow and pool time is limited throughout the Washington DC metro area, SDS must work together to keep open such an important facility in our neighborhood. The sport of swimming has been a large part of our lives, and it is hard to imagine the impact this could have on our tight knit community. I ask you to share this with your friends, neighbors, and any others who have also been able to enjoy the sport of swimming so that they, too, can sign the petition and attend the community meeting to keep the pool open.

Sincerely
Christopher J Hardimon
Lab School Parent
Chairman, Board of Directors
The Capitol Sea Devils

Christopher J Hardimon
703-980-7879