Sussex Academy takes swimming high tech

Sussex Academy celebrated its new, state-of-the-art swimming pool Dec. 15 with a nod to the force behind it.

In dedicating the indoor pool to Joe Schell, Chris Schell thanked his father for everything he has done.

“He has given so much to this school not only financially, but through his time and effort,” he said. “He is one of the best men I've ever known.”

The Schell Brothers built and donated the 8-lane pool to the Georgetown charter school, which will now host high school swim meets and the Henlopen Conference Championship in February.

Everything about it is top-of-the-line, Chris Schell said.

A filtration system uses moss to clean the water without overusing chemicals, and an automated system can check pH acidity and chemicals by phone, two examples of state-of-the-art technology.

“Whatever that moss does to the water, it uses less chlorine,” he said. “It also cuts down on respiratory problems.”

For competitive swimmers, eight lanes allow for a true final in a championship meet. The starting blocks have sensors to record false starts, and a time board records split times and final times by lane. Extra insulation was added to the ceiling and the walls to keep pool temperature constant. Large windows provide plenty of natural light, but the glass, which is three panes thick, also provides excellent insulation, Schell said.

“We needed a crane to install them,” he said about the windows, which were imported from Germany.

Pool lanes are extra wide to allow plenty of room for swimmers during practice.

“When you're doing butterfly in practice, you're not flapping arms with someone else in your lane,” he said.

The facility seats 350 people with balcony seating, said swim coach Tom Martiner. Sussex Academy has 48 swimmers this year – 13 of them are freshmen – nearly three times as many as last year's 17.

Martiner was thrilled to start practice at Sussex Academy, and the school hosted its first home meet the same day as the official opening. “The pool is great. We had practice this morning,” he said.

Sussex Academy swimmers previously practiced at Howard T. Ennis pool in Georgetown, up to now the only indoor pool in Georgetown for high school swim teams and community swim clubs.

Sussex Academy's pool will open to the public for community memberships in March.

But Chris and Preston Schell won't need to worry about that. Both were given lifetime memberships to the pool.

“This gift is representative of Schell's commitment to education and healthy lifestyles,” said Patricia Oliphant, director of Sussex Academy.