Gate C’s Olympic-Length Swimming Pool

Cool Water

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.

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

Cool Water

Above: an artist’s impression of the swimming pool.

to watch meets close in from a viewing gallery, and there is also the option of additional bleacher seating.”

In addition to competitive opportunities, the hope is that the new facility will provide more options in the water for all students. As an example, Andrew explains the current pool is too shallow to be used practically for sports such as water polo, whereas the Gate C facilities will “allow us to branch into other areas – there’s space for us to do that.”

Director of Sport and Methodology Richard Shuttleworth agrees. “We are shifting from the idea of ‘swimming’ to one of ‘aquatics’. Swimming is only one of many sports; there are several ways of being active in the water – aerobics, underwater hockey, water canoe polo... These activities are inclusive of all abilities and promote social inclusion, too.” of the water. The new facility will release pressure on the existing pool, allowing time there to be allocated to Learn to Swim and water confidence classes that encourage safe but fun play. “Currently, we would describe 80% of children at Tanglin as water confident; it’s our goal that, by 2023, 95-100% of children will be water confident and every child will be able to swim 25 metres by the age of eight,” says Richard. “The Infant School pool will be a safe space for very young children, free of competitive swimmers that can be intimidating to little ones. These classes, led by a specialist, will allow all children to explore the water in an enjoyable way.”

Ultimately, teaching children to be confident in the water is a life skill and one that’s crucial to their safety; perhaps even more so at Tanglin, a community on a small island with ready access to the sea. “An important driver for us is closing the gap between perceived water competency and actual competency,” explains Richard. “If a child believes they are more competent than they are then, in a real world situation such as open-water swimming, that can be very dangerous. Equally, if a child believes they are not as competent as they are, it can prevent them from taking part. Greater access to a pool will help to narrow that gap so all children can swim safely and confidently.”

Both Andrew and Richard are keen to stress that while the new pool will be an exceptional facility that’s sure to “wow”, the benefit to students is what staff are most excited by. Explains Richard, “What we really want to foster is lifelong learning for the benefit of the individual, and we believe creating greater opportunities within the school will lead to greater opportunities beyond it,” says Richard. “Our philosophy in Sport at Tanglin is ‘More; Better; Longer’. In the case of the new facilities, a wider sport offering means greater inclusion of children; more access means children can make greater improvements; and these foundations will lead to a lifelong love of sport. That’s what it’s all about.”