Appropriately enough, the opening weekend for the new Legends Aquatic Center brought out talk of the legacy of Cal Aquatics. From a celebration at the pool Oct. 13 to a grand fundraising gala featuring stars of past and present, Olympic-sized results and potential for future success dominated conversations.
"No matter how many gold medals and world records, no matter how many titles are bestowed on you, it's still just about getting up each and every day and loving the people that love you and being the best person you can be," 11-time Olympic medalist Matt Biondi said to the crowd gathered at the gala this past Saturday night. "That's why Cal has been so great for me. Obviously, I'm very proud of all my accomplishments but I'm most proud of the person I became because of a lot of people in this room."
Just over 16 months ago, a group that included Director of Athletics Mike Williams, Chancellor Nicholas Dirks and several donors, alumni and student-athletes moved a small pile of dirt with gold shovels. Together, they symbolically broke ground on what would become the Legends Aquatic Center.
Now, the facility has become a reality, benefiting student-athletes and alumni from all four of Cal's highly accomplished aquatics programs – men's and women's swimming & diving and men's and women's water polo. Funded entirely by private donations, the Legends Aquatic Center features a 52-meter training pool with a bulkhead and diving tower, locker rooms and a team room.
"I was reminded of what we do in Cal Athletics is build things," Williams said. "We build championship programs. We build community. We build great experiences for our fans. But the most important thing that we do is build young people of great character. It's our coaches and these facilities that help prepare them to lead."
The Legends Aquatic Center will certainly help toward that end. Among the amenities are video boards to enable real-time film study, a team room that can be used for such varied activities as meetings and yoga, Cal's first diving tower that will allow divers to train entirely on campus for the first time, and full-service locker rooms that can easily accommodate all four programs.
The opening of the pool will also assist student-athletes academically by allowing more flexibility in class scheduling. The Bears will continue to hold some practices and the vast majority of their competitions across Bancroft Way in Spieker Aquatics Center, which has been their home for 30 years.
"Spieker pool will forever be near and dear to my heart and the addition of this new pool gives our four programs the much-needed space they need to continue to work out and train at the highest possible level." said Rachel Bootsma, who completed her collegiate career as a three-time NCAA champion in the 100-yard backstroke last year. "We are all working together towards a common goal to excel at a world-class academic institution and to continue to succeed at a world-class aquatics program."
Cal is coming off a year in which 23 swimmers and water polo players competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Together, they combined for 19 medals. Over their history, the four programs have totaled 22 NCAA team championships and well over 100 individual titles, and each is consistently ranked among the top five in the country year in and year out.
Anthony Ervin, a two-time Olympic gold-medalist in the 50-meter free, summed up past, present and future by stressing the role alumni play in the success of the programs and what lies ahead for those currently suiting up in blue and gold.
"We all, to some degree or another, work in education, teaching and imparting something to the next generation," Ervin said at the opening ceremony. "We give back, we try to improve our world. I think Legends is a good name for this place."
Ervin then turned his attention to the current Golden Bears at the rear of the gathering: "And for the people way in the back, you guys are up next."
With the Legends Aquatic Center now open, the legacy of Cal Aquatics is set up to continue for years to come.
