Ideal Attributes of a Competitive Swimming Pool

Whether a college athlete, a club swimmer, or an olympian in training, there are certain attributes for a pool that can impact training and performance. At Aqua Pool, we specialize in creating professional commercial and residential pool design and builds. In our years of experience, we’ve honed in on the ideal characteristics a pool needs that can yield the best results for serious swimmers.

Ideal Temperature
For those that are swimming competitively, the ideal temperature range falls between 77-82 degrees. This is slightly below the 84-86 degree range enjoyed by casual swimmers. The reason for this is that cooler water can help prevent swimmers from overheating or developing muscle cramps.

Sanitation
pH, total alkalinity, free/combined chlorine, calcium hardness and total dissolved solids are all items that contribute to overall chemical balance of a pool. The comfort zone for a competitive swimmer is a pH between 7.4-7.6. For total alkalinity, the water should fall between 80-120 ppm.

Recirculation
While recirculation systems are important in all pool environments, for competitive swimmers, they can make or break a race. A competitive pool should not have any water turbulence or current.

Lane Markers
Racing lane lines enable control of water turbulence. In most competitive pool environments, adding a buffer lane along the length of any course can reduce the interference of waves and guide swimmers on their course.

Deck Equipment
Depending on the pool environment, a well-designed competitive swimming pool is complete with starting blocks, a non-slip decking surface, false start lines, backstroke flags and any other necessary equipment.

We love the ferocity of competition and are proud to play an important role in bringing these unique pool environments to life.