Marion Kimble
The Steven E. Schofield Aquatic Center at Pierce College, formerly the Pierce Pool, was unveiled Sunday, by Friends of Pierce Pool before a swimming clinic, coached by 14 professional-class swimmers, including Olympic-class swimmers Tamas Kerekjarto and Ous Mellouli.
In honor of the dedication of the Steven E. Schofield Aquatic Center at Pierce College, The USC Trojan Swim Club and the Stanford University Swimming Alumni, two groups of professional swimmers, were invited to coach a swimming clinic for high school swimmers.
The dedication of the pool, and the clinic, took place after this year’s Swim-a-Thon, which took place Sunday morning.
Steven E. Schofield, a founding member of Friends of Pierce Pool, and former vice-chair to the Southern Pacific Master’s Swimming Association, also known as SPMA, helped Pierce raise thousands of dollars for the pool.
Before his death, July 18 2007, Friends of Pierce Pool began the initiative to have the pool renamed in Schofield’s honor.
In her speech during the dedication, Kathy Schofield, Steven Schofield’s wife, mentioned he had “spent half of his life” at Pierce’s pool teaching the Master Swimmers. “He loved being at Pierce,” she continued.
According to Schofield’s stepdaughter, Kim Kanter, Schofield was “Incredibly honored and brought to tears” when she read the letter Friends of Pierce Pool wrote nominating Schofield for the honor to him when he was in the hospital.
Kanter was told the new Aquatic Center will be undergoing renovations.
Some of those mentioned to he were the adding of a “wellness pool” and re-plastering of the pool and the deck.
The swimming clinic began directly after the dedication.
The volunteer coaches from the USC Trojan Swim Club and the Stanford University Swimming Alumni assisted community high school students with the basics of swimming. Styles included in the tutorial were the Freestyle, the Butterfly, the Breaststroke, and the Backstroke.
All of the volunteer coaches were accomplished swimmers.
Among those that attended were Tamas Kerekjarto, who swam for Hungary in the 2004 Olympics, and Ous Mellouli, who swam for Tunisia in the 2004 Olympics, and is a 2003 and 2005 World Championship Medalist.
According to Gary McDowell, with the Master Swimmers program, the clinic was to help the more experienced swimmers improve themselves.
“This is wonderful,” said McDowell. “Having this caliber of swimmer help the community is a coo.”
McDowell hopes the addition of a clinic to this year’s fund raiser will help students see Pierce as a place to swim.
“I still work with people who are 80 to 90 years old who are world record holders in their age groups,” said McDowell. “In the end, it’s all about passing something down to the young people.”
Kim Kanter, daughter of Steven Schofield, left, and Gary McDowell, a long-time friend of Schofield’s, talk pool-side at the Pierce pool on Sunday, following the pool’s renaming ceremony. ()