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FACILITIES

Facilities

 


Gabrielsen Natatorium

 

 

Gabrielsen Natatorium

 

Within the Ramsey Center lies the home of Georgia's swimming and diving program - Gabrielsen Natatorium.

 

Dedicated in January of 1996, Gabrielsen Natatorium honors the service of legendary swimming coach B.W. Gabrielsen.

 

Known commonly as the "Shrewd Norwegian," Gabrielsen was head coach of the Bulldogs from 1948 to 1966 and accumulated a dual meet record of 118-106-4. His list of accomplishments as head coach included instructing 70 SEC championship swimmers, three conference team champions, six All-Americans, one NCAA champion and the Bulldogs' first U.S. Olympic Team member.

 

The natatorium area contains three separate pools. The 50-meter competition pool contains 844,000 gallons of water and can be configured into four different layouts by utilizing the two movable bulkheads to allow for both short- and long-course training.

 

Adjacent to the main pool is seating for nearly 2,000 spectators. The Aquatic Director's Office, swimming and diving coaches' offices, Timing Room, locker rooms and lifeguard offices are all located on the deck level.

 

Two 1-meter springboards, two 3-meter springboards and five diving platforms (1, 3, 5, 7.5 and 10 meters) cantilever over the diving pool. The diving pool is 16 to 17 feet deep, contains 525,000 gallons of water and is equipped with an air sparger system to cushion a diver's entry into the water.

 

An instructional and recreational pool is located behind the diving platform area. This pool has eight swimming lanes, 25 yards long, contains 130,000 gallons of water and varies in depth from 3.5 feet at each end to 5 feet in the center.

 

Gabrielsen Natatorium has not only proven to be a valuable recruiting tool but also a magnet for national-caliber competitions. Since its opening, Georgia has played host to the NCAA Women's Championships in 1999 and 2005, the NCAA Men's Championships in 2002, and the SEC Championships in 1997, 2004, 2010 and 2014. U.S. Diving used Gabrielsen Natatorium as the site of the 1997 World Championship Team Trials.

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