The CHS pool was closed from Sept. 19 through Sept. 30, creating a big problem for the boys’ water polo team, who are currently in the middle of their season. A health inspector came on a surprise visit and examined the pool. He determined that there were health violations. According to varsity coach Kristin Rodriguez, the pool does not have any new benefits for the water polo team, even though it was closed for nearly two weeks. The water polo team first found out about the pool closing during a weekend tournament, and they had to arrange to use a different pool for the game.

The lack of their home pool has affected the ranking of the team and their practices. The varsity team had to practice out of water for two days and the junior varsity team had to practice out of water for five days.  The team eventually found other practice pools, which included pools at the Claremont Club, Claremont McKenna college, and Charter Oak high school; they also had to rent the Los Osos pool for a game.  Overall, the water polo teams have not had as good of a season as in previous years, but it’s unclear whether that is a result of the pool issue.

The team also lost their usual advantage during their home games. The size of the CHS pool gives the CHS teams an upper hand, but because they had to play in a slightly larger pool for their home games they did not have that slight edge on the other team. This could have potentially altered the odds for the success of the CHS teams during their matches.

“I was bummed about the pool closing. I cannot see a lot of benefit except for trying to stay positive and talk to the team about dealing with adversity,” said Coach Kristin Rodriguez.

For home games, sponsors are offered a spot on the fence by the pool. As a result of the three games they had to play elsewhere, it will probably be more difficult to get as many advertisements as in past years. The district also had to spend unnecessary money on the pools that they used for games and practices. The boys’ water polo team had to rearrange their season around this significant inconvenience, and the closing of the pool may result in long-term effects to the team’s progress.