During an Aug. 19 media tour of the new Hampton Virginia Aquaplex, crews were hard at work putting on the many finishing touches inside and out that will be needed before the building is slated to open to the pubic this fall. As they worked, the water was flowing—all 760,000 gallons of it—into the facility’s 8-lane 50-meter competition pool. The pool would take several days to fill.
Chris Cromer, project architect with Guersney Tingle, led the tour and was joined by representatives from the City of Hampton, Clancy & Theys Construction Company and Eastern Sports Management. Situated adjacent to the Hampton Roads Convention Center and Hampton Coliseum, this state-of-the-art facility will be the largest of its kind in Virginia and a game changer for Coastal Virginia.
Built for competitive aquatics, the Aquaplex is expected to host Mid-Atlantic and national competitive swimming and diving events, artistic swimming, water polo and more, making its addition to the region’s athletic facilities a potential boon for locally based aquatic athletes and for sports tourism by athletes from outside the region, their families, fans and supporters. Existing aquatic facilities in the region did not offer the adequate length, depth, equipment or facilites needed for training or competing at an elite level.
“It’s going to be an awesome environment for really big meets,” noted Cromer from the upper level of spectator seating overlooking the main pool. “There will be a lot of energy in here.” The spectator seating can accommodate 1,500 people and has two moveable bulkheads. As many as 760 athletes can occupy the spacious pool decks for swim and dive events. These are some of the facility’s key specs:
- 8-Lane 25-Yard Competition Programming and Warm-up Pool
- Two 3-Meter Springboards for Competitive Diving
- Two 1-Meter Springboards for Competitive Diving
- 1,500 Elevated Seats Spectator Viewing Area
- 760 Seats On-Deck for Competitors
- Colorado Time Systems State-of-the-Art Timing and Scoring
- Culinary Center Concession Food and Beverage Service
In addition, the SplashDown Park is an outdoor splash park with family-friendly water features and fun, with a planned opening in the spring of 2023. The main facility and the splash park will offer membership options for the public, swim and exercise classes and event rentals.
Learn more at HamptonAquaplex.com
