INDIANAPOLIS -- After dozens of swims and world and American records - Lucas Oil Stadium's time as a world-class natatorium is finished.
The process of breaking down the two Olympic-sized pools in Lucas Oil began as soon as the final races and ceremonies ended Sunday night.
John Ireland, the Chief Technical Officer with Myrtha Pools, said the plug was pulled on the warm up pool first. It'll take about 10 to 14 hours for it to drain. After it's finished, the competition pool will start draining on Monday.
The two million gallons of water between the two will go into the Indy sewer system, be treated and pumped back into the White River.
The pools that held the water will be broken down over the next few days and packed up. They're set to go on two very different journeys.
The competition pool will stay in the state, heading northwest for two hours and finding its permanent home in Fort Wayne. The warm-up pool will be going much farther away. It's headed to the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean.
The small, 102-square-mile island is home to roughly 72,000 people. The pool will change swimming completely in Cayman.
”In comparison to what we currently have and what we currently have the capacity for this is tremendously more," said Joan West-Dacres, Deputy Chief of the Ministry of Youth Sports and Heritage in the Cayman Islands. "We’re going to go from 6 lanes to 30 lanes."
West-Dacres made the trip from the Cayman Islands to Indy this past weekend to watch the final two days of the U.S. Olympic Swim trials and see her country's new pool in action.
”Knowing that the pool that we purchase was a part of this event is really exciting for us," she said.
West-Dacres said Cayman currently has more than 300 children on a waiting list for community programs because they don't have enough space in their current pool.
They expect the transportation of the pool pieces to take about a month. From there, they're hoping to have the pool in the water by the end of 2025.
Fort Wayne is also looking forward to it's U.S. Olympic Trial pool increasing access. John Gibson with the Fort Wayne Board of Swim and Wellness Alliance said there isn't enough water space in the city.
”We have one indoor 50-meter pool in Fort Wayne and it is shared by nine or ten or eleven high school teams, a couple of club teams," Gibson said. "There are two other high school pools in Fort Wayne and that's it. So really limiting growth of competitive swimming, competitive diving, not near enough space for swim lessons and just other aquatic programming. We're turning hundreds of people away every month for swim lessons."
The trial competition pool will be the anchor for a new swimming facility in Fort Wayne. Gibson said it will be a $50 million project that is expected to generate $20 million a year for Fort Wayne once it's completed. They're currently raising money for the project.
”To see that competition pool and know it's going to be our home pool and seeing world records set in that pool is just unbelievably exciting," Gibson said.
Gibson, Fort Wayne Head Swim Coach Ben Sutton and 42 Fort Wayne swimmers made the trip down to Indy for the Olympic Swim Trials. Sutton said the young athletes are looking forward to the competition pool being their home pool.
”To see their excitement just brought chills," Sutton said. "Now we're here experiencing, seeing world records being broken, American records being broke and those are going to be pool records at our facility when it gets built."
Both Sutton and West-Dacres expect the pools to inspire generations of swimmers for years to come.
”When you get to walk in there every day and see the Olympic insignia on there, the rings and you see the USA national emblem on there, it just keeps everybody inspired and keeps everybody coming back," Sutton said.
”I think it'll be a real inspiration for our swimmers in the Cayman Islands," West-Dacres said. "I think it'll be a real inspiration for those that haven't started swimming yet to go, 'Wow, this is possible.'"
West-Dacres said they're hoping to open their new facility by the end of 2025. Gibson said their pool will be held in storage until the facility where it'll be is ready.