Great pool, where do I sit?

The new aquatic center at Cerritos College is a fantastic addition to the campus and is the envy of many other aquatics programs. It has two pools, including a competition pool section 25 yards by 35 meters. This large pool is the same size as those used in conference, regional and state competitions.

The match between Cerritos and Long Beach was quite an event, with approximately 100 fans in attendance. Star center Natalie Peng proclaimed "this was the biggest turnout we've ever had." What a great chance for Cerritos to show off it's shiny new pool. The only problem was, instead of noticing how nice of a facility they were in, all the fans were concerned about was how hard it was to watch the game.

In the proposal for the facility, "the deck will have space for portable bleachers to accommodate 50 spectators along the west side of the pool and between the Competition pool and the Adaptive pool." In reality, that space was filled with about 60 chairs set up in three rows. For those that hoped to watch the game, but were not lucky enough to snag a front row seat, they were out of luck. Short of craning one's neck or standing up there was little chance of watching the rematch to last year's state championship.

Where are the bleachers? The day of the big game coincided with the dedication ceremony of the aquatics center. Yet, the center has no bleachers? If there are just a few good seats and no bleachers, then the center is not complete. Especially in a sport like water polo where the action is below the spectator, no matter how close the seat, stadium seating is required. There has to be bleachers available for everyone to have a view of the action.

It may not seem like a big deal, or maybe just not worth five paragraphs, but tell that to the couple of dozen people behind me complaining about not being able to see the game they drove to and paid parking to see. Imagine how much better it would be playing in front of a hundred HAPPY and (moderately) comfortable fans? Here's to hoping that those bleachers are there on Wednesday when Cerritos takes on Pasadena City College.