Cheshire Pool Supporters Attract Attention of Olympians

The Friends of the Cheshire Pool say that the support for a permanent enclosure over the facility spans farther than in town.

"When as many as 11 Olympic medalists and team members of the United States Olympic team retweet support for the Cheshire Community Pool, you truly realize the caliber and national reach of our local swim teams," it said Sunday in a release.

That support was evident at the Pool Evaluation Committee’s public information session on June 27, they say, where student swimmers showed up with signs showing their support. And they attracted attention from around the country, according to the group.

"With homemade signs and a poignant call for help intended to garner more support for our community pool, the kids posed for a picture that was tweeted out to the United States Olympic Team," it said.  "Olympians such as two time gold medalist Ricky Berens , six time Olympic medalists Rebecca Soni and Allison Schmitt retweeted a message from @FriendsofCCP getting the word out about our pool to even more people."

The Cheshire Community Pool has served as the home to two nationally recognized swim teams — the Cheshire High School girls swim team and Cheshire YMCA Sea dogs, according to the group.  

"These teams have brought pride to our community and help make Cheshire one of the best places to live in America," the release said.

Swimmers who highlighted the message of support were: 

• Rebecca Soni, a six-time Olympic medalist and holder of several world records; 

• Ricky Berens, who holds two gold medals and several world records; 

• Allison Schmitt, a six-time Olympic medalist including three gold medals; 

• Gold Medalist Tyler McGill, 

• Lia Neal, who took the bronze in 2012; 

• Jessica Hardy, a gold and bronze Olympic medalist and world record holder,  

• Kate Zeigler, a world record holder,  

• Chloe Sutton, an Olympian in both open water and pool events,   

• Alyssa Anderson, Camille Adams and Clark Burkle  — all Olympic team members. 

According to the group, a year round community pool offers many benefits.  

"Not only is it home to these swim teams, but it serves the entire community, seniors and children alike," it said.  "Residents of all ages use and enjoy the pool all year round. This past year the pool was more popular than ever with over 128,000 people using the pool."

The group can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfCheshirePool, on Twitter at @FriendsofCCP and on the web at www.friendsofcheshirepool.org and http://friendsofcheshirepool.blogspot.com/