Brandeis Magazine

After four years in dry dock due to mechanical problems, Brandeis’ Joseph M. Linsey Sports Center pool reopened with a splash in January. Following speeches by Student Union President Herbie Rosen ’12, Director of Athletics Sheryl Sousa ’90, Assistant Director of Athletics and former swim coach Jim Zotz, and Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel, four teams of four students each initiated the refurbished facility with a charity relay race that raised money for the Ronald McDonald House. After the race, the pool officially reopened to the Brandeis community with an open swim and party.

The event, titled “Making Waves,” celebrated the completion of a $3.5 million renovation project that included the replacement of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; improvements to lighting and electrical systems; and general upgrades to the building’s interior and exterior.

“I think it’s a great night for the community,” President Fred Lawrence told the wet and happy crowd. “One of the first priorities I had last year when I came in was to get the pool fixed and back up. It’s good every way you look at it, and it’s a great celebration tonight. It’s exactly what I had hoped.”

The Swim Club, formed by members of the swim team when the facility closed, began practicing this semester, according to Sports Information Director Adam Levin, and inner-tube water polo, an intramural sport, started in March. The varsity swimming and diving programs will be back in business in the fall.