MONROE - Following a serious accident earlier this summer, members of the Monroe Board of Parks and Recreation Commission are asking competitive swimmers to stop diving into the pool from raised blocks until more research can be done on pool depths.
The move would impact the Monroe High School girls swimming team and the Monroe Area Swim Team.
After a MAST member dove in and hit her head on the bottom of the pool and cracked her fourth vertebrae in practice earlier this summer, Recreation Supervisor Marge Klinzing said she looked for ways to prevent any further injuries or liability. The victim of the accident is still recovering from her injury.
Klinzing said she contacted the Cities and Villages Mutual Insurance Company and Julie Hefter, deputy director of the Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association and chairperson of the Aquatic Facility Operator Board. Both advised a 5-foot depth for diving for competitive swim teams.
But the board on Wednesday tabled a decision on the matter and will seek more information from other towns on water depth and the distances of the blocks from the water.
Betsy Keith, MAST treasurer and mother of four swimmers on MAST, said she wants to work with the board to preserve a swim team that's been in place for more than half a century.
"If the blocks go away, the 57-year old swimming team goes away," Keith said. "I don't think we can have a swimming team without the blocks. It's like playing baseball without a bat. To be honest, without the blocks, I don't think my kids will go out for swimming."
Monroe High School girls swimming coach Linda Moser said that the outdoor pool meets regulations for hosting WIAA swimming meets.
Still, Monroe's season-opening meet against Platteville, originally scheduled for the city pool on Saturday, has been moved to the Green County Family YMCA.
The National Federation of State High School Associations, which governs many of the WIAA high school swimming programs, advises a 4 foot or more standard for diving.
However, the NFHS in April approved a plan calling for high schools with pools with water depths of 3 1/2 to 4 feet to have swimmers start in the water, rather than from blocks.
Water depths for the city pool vary from 5 feet in lane eight, extending halfway into lane 7. The other half of lane 7 is 4 feet, 11 inches until halfway into lane 6, where the water depth is 4 feet, 10 inches.
The starting blocks for the swimming team are 18 inches above the water.
Park Board President Bill Bethke said that, after researching pool depths, the issue is likely a gray area since the NCAA recommends 7 feet of water, even though a 4-foot starting depth is acceptable.
"We don't want to be the bad guys, but if someone gets hurt or paralyzed, we have to weigh that," he said.
Dawn Mulligan, MAST president, said that if the swimming team goes away, so does the income it generates. The team hosts the Dr. Stiles Invitational every year and it brings more than 300 swimmers to Monroe.
Dr. Frank Stiles, who was a pediatrician in Monroe, started the swim team to give children an outlet in the summer.
Commissioner Reid Stangel, who is also a city alderman, said if the pool remains the same without any changes, he questioned what would happen if there is another injury.
"It's a Catch-22," Stangel said of an injury, "but so is a triple play in baseball. We would be overlooking the advice of our insurance company."
It hasn't been determined whether the depth of the pool will have to be dug deeper, the height of the blocks altered or whether the pool deck can be raised.
The move would impact the Monroe High School girls swimming team and the Monroe Area Swim Team.
After a MAST member dove in and hit her head on the bottom of the pool and cracked her fourth vertebrae in practice earlier this summer, Recreation Supervisor Marge Klinzing said she looked for ways to prevent any further injuries or liability. The victim of the accident is still recovering from her injury.
Klinzing said she contacted the Cities and Villages Mutual Insurance Company and Julie Hefter, deputy director of the Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association and chairperson of the Aquatic Facility Operator Board. Both advised a 5-foot depth for diving for competitive swim teams.
But the board on Wednesday tabled a decision on the matter and will seek more information from other towns on water depth and the distances of the blocks from the water.
Betsy Keith, MAST treasurer and mother of four swimmers on MAST, said she wants to work with the board to preserve a swim team that's been in place for more than half a century.
"If the blocks go away, the 57-year old swimming team goes away," Keith said. "I don't think we can have a swimming team without the blocks. It's like playing baseball without a bat. To be honest, without the blocks, I don't think my kids will go out for swimming."
Monroe High School girls swimming coach Linda Moser said that the outdoor pool meets regulations for hosting WIAA swimming meets.
Still, Monroe's season-opening meet against Platteville, originally scheduled for the city pool on Saturday, has been moved to the Green County Family YMCA.
The National Federation of State High School Associations, which governs many of the WIAA high school swimming programs, advises a 4 foot or more standard for diving.
However, the NFHS in April approved a plan calling for high schools with pools with water depths of 3 1/2 to 4 feet to have swimmers start in the water, rather than from blocks.
Water depths for the city pool vary from 5 feet in lane eight, extending halfway into lane 7. The other half of lane 7 is 4 feet, 11 inches until halfway into lane 6, where the water depth is 4 feet, 10 inches.
The starting blocks for the swimming team are 18 inches above the water.
Park Board President Bill Bethke said that, after researching pool depths, the issue is likely a gray area since the NCAA recommends 7 feet of water, even though a 4-foot starting depth is acceptable.
"We don't want to be the bad guys, but if someone gets hurt or paralyzed, we have to weigh that," he said.
Dawn Mulligan, MAST president, said that if the swimming team goes away, so does the income it generates. The team hosts the Dr. Stiles Invitational every year and it brings more than 300 swimmers to Monroe.
Dr. Frank Stiles, who was a pediatrician in Monroe, started the swim team to give children an outlet in the summer.
Commissioner Reid Stangel, who is also a city alderman, said if the pool remains the same without any changes, he questioned what would happen if there is another injury.
"It's a Catch-22," Stangel said of an injury, "but so is a triple play in baseball. We would be overlooking the advice of our insurance company."
It hasn't been determined whether the depth of the pool will have to be dug deeper, the height of the blocks altered or whether the pool deck can be raised.