The Venice High School indoor pool is long overdue for a renovation. 

The pool, built in 1961, is outdated and unfit for the over 50 athletes that are a part of Venice High School aquatics. The boys’ water polo, the girls’ water polo, and the swim and dive teams host practices, games, and meets throughout the school year and have continuously been affected by the pool’s maintenance issues. 

In 2020, the pool was shut down due to a crack in the roof. When it rained, the locker rooms and electrical room were flooded. The swim team was unable to use the seventh lane and host swim meets. 

As a swimmer on the team, not only did I find the issue to be unsafe, but I was also extremely disappointed that my first swim season was interrupted. Beyond that, I was frustrated that neither the school or the city seemed to be taking action to resolve it. 

Nowadays, the pool suffers from routine issues that come with being about 60 years old. The locker rooms have a damp, humid atmosphere. The scoreboard doesn’t work. The pool drain constantly makes gurgling noises. 

When there are issues with the pool, it takes a ridiculously long time for it to get fixed, simply because of how many groups are involved in its upkeep. LAUSD, the Recreation and Parks Department, and the school all have a hand in the swimming pool. This makes it increasingly difficult to get anything done, especially when the pool lands so low on people’s priority list. 

Venice High aquatics has dozens of swimmers who commit much time and effort to becoming better athletes, and they deserve a newer facility to practice in. Most LAUSD schools have facilities that are a lot newer than Venice’s—many even having an outdoor pool. The kids of the Venice community also deserve a better pool for swim lessons, youth teams, and recreational fun.

The City of Los Angeles received $160 million from the LA28 Olympic committee to invest in youth sports, and yet there are no plans to renovate Venice’s indoor pool. The school got over $100 million to renovate the campus, creating a brand-new gym, updated football field, tennis and basketball courts—but not spending a penny on the pool.

 The neglect that has been shown to the pool is unfair to students of Venice High and the members of the Venice community. With money from both the city and the school, plus some from fundraising, one day in the future I hope to hear that Venice High has a new, outdoor pool worthy of our student athletes and our community.