Dealing with pool closure part of Charlottetown Bluephins training

For a swimming coach preparing a team for a major competition less than a week away, having the training pool shut down due to a maintenance issue could be seen as a major disruption.

But Tom Ponting, coach of the Charlottetown Bluephins Aquatic Club, calls the temporary closure of the competitive pool"timely."

He said itactually fits with an aspect of the club's training the team has been working ondealing with unforeseen circumstances.

"We're focusing on control and relaxation," he said."This is a doozy. This is about as big as it gets, where the pool is no longer accessible to you. So, we had prepared them for exactly this type of thing."

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The club is preparing for a major competition in Saint John this week that will determine which members willswimfor the Island's Canada Summer Games team.

Management with the BellAliantCentre on theUPEIcampus said the goal is to have the pool fixed by Tuesday.

While the pool is closed, Ponting said some options for training include using the centre's leisure pool or other facilities in Charlottetown. The club has also been invited to use the Credit Union Place pool in Summerside.

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