Generations of Des Moines residents have flocked to their neighborhood swimming pools for fun and to find relief from the heat, especially during potentially deadly heat waves. For almost 90 years, destinations have included the historic Birdland Pool at 300 Holcomb Ave in Highland Park, which opened to the general public on May 31, 1936. The […]
Swimming
Posted inRecreation
No swimming at Terry Trueblood Recreation Area ‘due to level of E. Coli’
There will be no swimming permitted at Terry Trueblood Recreation Area, “due to the level of E. Coli detected in Sand Lake,” the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department announced on Monday afternoon. The ban “will last indefinitely until water quality improves.” Updates on the situation will be posted on the department’s Parks and Trails […]
Posted inCommunity/News
UI settles Title IX lawsuit filed by women swimmers, will pay $400,000 and hire expert to make sure it follows the law
The University of Iowa has agreed to pay $400,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging the university has been violating its obligation under Title IX to provide opportunities for female athletes, the Gazette reported on Wednesday afternoon. As part of the settlement, UI will also hire a sports law expert to monitor the Athletics Department’s compliance […]
Posted inCommunity/News
University of Iowa is adding a women’s wrestling team
The University of Iowa Athletics Department announced on Thursday morning it is adding a women’s wrestling program. The department anticipates the women wrestlers to begin competing in the 2023-24 season, according to a news release. UI Athletics said the addition would make it “the first NCAA Division I, Power Five conference institution to offer the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Bears bare all at this adult-only, LGBTQ-friendly campground in ‘middle of nowhere’ Iowa
Sloshed on Busch Light and a little sun-dazed after my first pool day in ages, it was 11 p.m. when I finally went to set up my tent at the L.V. Campground in Coggon, Iowa. My sister, two friends and I had rented a cabin ($135/night) — sturdy, spacious and best of all air-conditioned, with […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Left to ‘completely rebuild’ their team after COVID cuts, UI women swimmers are taking the university to task over Title IX
There were “mixed emotions” when University of Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta met with the women’s swimming and diving team on Feb. 15 to let them know their program, which the university had cut on Aug. 21, would be fully reinstated. While there was excitement and optimism over the news, there was also frustration over […]
Posted inCOVID-19
University of Iowa reverses course and reinstates women’s swimming and diving program
The University of Iowa announced on Monday afternoon it is “fully reinstating women’s swimming and diving as an NCAA and Big Ten Conference program.” The decision came almost six months after UI announced the program would be cut after the end of the season, and seven weeks after a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction […]
Posted inCommunity/News
University of Iowa cuts swimming and diving programs, men’s gymnastics and tennis, citing COVID-19 losses
On Friday afternoon, University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld and Director of Athletics Gary Barta released a statement containing “some extremely difficult news.” Harreld and Barta said that due to COVID-19 financial losses in the Athletics Department, four of the university’s 24 intercollegiate varsity sports programs will be cut: men’s and women’s swimming and diving, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Bidding the iconic University of Iowa Field House pool a fond farewell
An iconic landmark built in 1927 is set to disappear when the swimming pool in the University of Iowa Field House will be updated and converted to a fitness center, according to a budget approved in June by the Iowa Board of Regents Property and Facilities Committee. Projected to run at least $10 million, the update will be funded by gifts and earnings to recreational services and income on university investments.
