KTVA Newsstory:
New scoreboards a boon for Bartlett High’s pool
http://www.ktva.com/story/38064015/new-equipment-makes-it-easier-for-swimmers-fans-at-bartlett-high-school-pool
Friday, April 27th 2018, 4:38 pm AKDT by Dave Leval
Updated: Friday, April 27th 2018, 9:10 pm AKDT
Some of the state’s top swimmers will be in the water at the Bartlett High School swimming pool this weekend, to compete in the annual Junior Olympics. Both athletes and fans will notice some changes while they’re there.
Two giant, state-of-the-art scoreboards have been added, along with a new timing system. They’re the payoff from a GoFundMe account set up last year, which helped organizers raise nearly $150,000.
A big chunk came from Orthopedic Physicians Alaska. Organizers say the new system is a major improvement.
“We often had connectivity problems,” said Becky Cook with Central Area Swimming, which set up the campaign. “It would always interrupt the pace of the swim meet, which not only affected the officials and spectators, but it was also affecting the swimmers. They want to be up there, they’re ready to go, and if the system is not ready to go, that’s where we felt we were potentially letting them down.”
OPA staff did not say how much they donated, only that they wanted to help.
“We realized a lot of these athletic programs in the state, struggle to get enough financing to make it a good experience and we really wanted to help the athletes,” said the group’s CEO, Rick Watson.