{"id":53416,"date":"2014-04-05T01:29:20","date_gmt":"2014-04-05T08:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/?p=53416"},"modified":"2014-04-05T01:32:24","modified_gmt":"2014-04-05T08:32:24","slug":"april-sw-magazine-a-voice-for-the-sport-perseverance-is-the-basis-for-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/april-sw-magazine-a-voice-for-the-sport-perseverance-is-the-basis-for-success\/","title":{"rendered":" April SW Magazine<\/font> A Voice for the Sport: Perseverance is the Basis for Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHOENIX, Arizona, April 5. The April issue of Swimming World Magazine<\/i> is now available for download to Total Access Subscribers!<\/a><\/p>\n

On pages 8 & 9 of Swimming World Magazine<\/i>, A Voice for the Sport. Perseverance is the Basis for Success.<\/a> By, Brent T. Rutemiller. Without perseverance, success is rarely achieved. By nature, our sport demands perseverance. It is the fundamental lesson that all coaches teach and hope that their athletes practice in life. Coach Jim Wood of the Berkeley Aquatic Club has personified perseverance. <\/a><\/p>\n

Without perseverance, success is rarely achieved. By nature, our sport demands perseverance. It is the fundamental lesson that all coaches teach and hope that their athletes practice in life.<\/em><\/p>\n

Jim Wood, head coach of the Berkeley Aquatic Club and former president of USA Swimming, has personified perseverance in his 10-year odyssey to build an aquatic complex in New Jersey.<\/em><\/p>\n

Coach Wood bought a dream back in 2004 when his team purchased one of the two 50-meter pools that were used for USA Swimming\u2019s Olympic Trials in Long Beach, Calif.<\/em><\/p>\n

Upon completion of the Olympic Trials, the athletes went to Athens while the warm-up pool went to New Jersey. For 10 years, parts for the 50-meter pool sat in a New Jersey warehouse as Wood went from township to township, shopping for land to build an aquatic complex.<\/em><\/p>\n

Each prospective site met with obstacles such as environmental and zoning issues. Along the way, Coach Wood met many agenda-driven bureaucrats and New Jersey politicians who were opposed to the land usage. Each step forward was followed by a few steps backward. At one point, thieves even stole parts of the pool out of the warehouse for scrap metal.<\/em><\/p>\n

Plain and simple, after years of impact studies, citizen votes, referendums, public debates and hundreds of thousands of dollars, the pool did not have a home. Coach Wood\u2019s vision was no further along than the day the pool was purchased back in 2004.<\/em><\/p>\n

Nobody would have thought less of Coach Wood if he gave up his quest, especially after a brief bout with cancer and a heart scare. He must have made a promise either to himself or to his team that he would never give up.<\/em><\/p>\n

The most important lesson about perseverance is not to give up because success may be just around the corner. For Coach Wood, that is exactly what happened when word circulated that his hometown of New Providence, N.J. (three miles from his current location) wanted to approach HIM with the necessary land and support. On March 4, 2014, the New Providence City Council unanimously approved a resolution for the Berkeley Aquatic Club to build its facility after a decade of frustration.<\/em><\/p>\n

Coach Wood had previously looked at property in his hometown, but nothing was for sale at the time. Basically, the town was off his radar. But as fate would have it and because people were following his story, as soon as property became available, he was contacted. Berkeley Aquatic Club will now be converting a 40,000 square-foot building into a brand new aquatic center.<\/em><\/p>\n

On top of converting the building to house 25-meter pools, a swim school, aqua therapy pool, dryland training area and meeting rooms, they will also be building an adjacent 26,000 square-foot facility to house the 50-meter pool for long course training. All told, there will be nearly $15 million invested in the project, and if you ask me, the facility should be named the Jim Wood Perseverance Aquatic Center!<\/em><\/p>\n

The journey is over for Jim Wood, but his lesson now lives on for his athletes: \u201cPersevere because success may be just around the corner.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Not a Total Access Subscriber? A Swimming World Magazine <\/i> Subscription <\/a> gives you unlimited access to all online content on SwimmingWorld.com and access to all of the back issues of Swimming World Magazine <\/i> dating back to 1960! Purchase your Total Access Subscription TODAY! <\/a><\/p>\n