The starting gun was fired on the dreams of City of Logan swimmers today when the Jodie Henry Pool was unveiled at the Logan North Aquatic Centre in Underwood.
Logan City Council's $9 million upgrade of the Olympic-sized facility is complete in time for the summer swimming season and further enhances the city's claims for greater inclusion in 2032 Olympic plans.
Olympic gold medallist, multiple world record holder and proud City of Logan product, Jodie Henry OAM, re-opened the outdoor pool alongside Mayor Darren Power today.
Cr Power said the redevelopment of the pool was a major boost for City of Logan residents who partake in water-based activities for either fitness or fun.
"The opening of our new Jodie Henry Pool is a celebration of one of our greatest swimming heroes, but it is also a nod to the champions of tomorrow," Cr Power said.
"Council is very proud to invest in world-class facilities which both support our next generation of athletes and promote healthy lifestyles and fun recreational pursuits.
"As we look ahead to the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, I have no doubt that this could be the opening chapter of our city's next sporting stories."
Jodie, who grew up in Springwood, won three gold medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics, including in the individual 100m freestyle. She was the first Australian to win the event since Dawn Fraser in 1964.
She set a world record for the 100m freestyle and was part of two world record-breaking relay teams.
Having grown up without a pool of her own, Jodie credits her early development as a swimmer to her regular school and club meets at the Logan North Aquatic Centre - where her "love of swimming began".
She said development of Olympic-sized (50m) pools in local communities was invaluable to aspiring athletes.
"It drastically changes the training you do, if you are only swimming short course (25m) you are training differently," Jodie said.
"All our major events, the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, the world championships, the ones that really mean a lot to a swimmer, are long course, so it really does help to have access to facilities like this."
She said the sky was the limit for the City of Logan's next generation of swimmers.
"It's all about staying in it (the sport), if you've got a love for it, stay in it and find the people that can support you," Jodie said.
"The Brisbane (2032 Olympic Games) are coming up, and while we've also got a fantastic senior swim team at the moment, it would be great to see what these future generations can add to that legacy."
The redeveloped pool has been expanded with two additional swimming lanes.
It also features improved water quality controls and new energy efficient pumps and filtration.
A bright new splash pad coming in 2023 will also delight younger paddlers and families.
Council's pools have now reopened for the summer swimming season. Residents can also swim at:
- Beenleigh Aquatic Centre (City Rd, Beenleigh)
- Bethania Aquatic Centre (Station Rd, Bethania)
- Logan West Aquatic Centre (Wineglass Dr, Hillcrest)
- Gould Adams Park Aquatic Centre (Kingston Rd, Kingston)
The Jodie Henry Pool is at the Logan North Aquatic Centre, at 2 Sports Drive in Underwood.
