What’s New at Tanglin
Cool One highlight of the Gate C project is an Olympic-length swimming pool that will allow Infant, Junior and Senior school students unprecedented access to aquatics. The Voice spoke to the staff behind this exciting addition to find out what we can expect. 16
Tanglin’s new aquatic facilities are a rare example of adding one and one together, and making three. For the new 50-metre pool, in addition to the 25-metre facility currently on campus, will allow each school to have its own designated area. Director of Aquatics Andrew Hailey explains. “The new pool has what’s known as a ‘bulkhead’; it’s a platform that can move up and down over the water and essentially can split the facility in two,” he says. “It means Junior and Senior school students can use the pool at the same time, leaving the existing pool for sole use of Infant School children. Essentially, we’re getting a lot of bang for our buck.” Greater access to the water will mean greater opportunities for students of all ages and abilities, from those dipping
their toes in for the very first time, to those competing at the highest level. The two-metre deep, Olympic-length pool will feature seven 2.2 metre-wide lanes, and diving blocks – a first for Tanglin. It will be a world-class teaching facility that, as Andrew says, “is a more representative environment for competition training.” Unlike most other 50-metre-long pools in Singapore, it will also be covered; only inaccessible during periods of unhealthy levels of haze. “It will separate us from other facilities on the island by a long way,” he notes. While additional features are still being finalised, the bulkhead – together with cameras and split-screen scoreboards – mean Tanglin will potentially be able to host its own swim meets. Says Andrew, “When it comes to running events such as ACSIS or SEASAC – or even House competitions – we can have boys competing in one half and girls in the other; or U14s in one half and U18s in the other, as a short course. The scoreboards mean parents will be able
