Although currently in the off-season, members of Hingham High School’s Swim Team are buzzing about upcoming seasons–not because of the competition, but rather because of a potential new home. The swim team, which practices five times per week during the winter sports season, currently has its practice pool located at the Connell Rink and Pool facility in Weymouth. Due to the limited capacity of the Connell, however, the swim team holds its home meets at the Bob McGillicuddy Memorial Pool at Lincoln Hancock Middle School in Quincy.

Since the pools are located in Weymouth and Quincy, Hingham Swim Team members are forced to commit to transportation to all of these locations on daily and weekly bases, sometimes on weekends as well. Although many swimmers enjoy calling both these pools their homes, the time commitment takes a large toll on the students during the winter season due to the hours necessary for transportation added to the already designated hour and a half practice slot. In regards to this significant time commitment, freshman swimmer Evelyn Steiner comments, “It sucks.”

Unfortunately, there are no available pool facilities in the Hingham area that would be able to support over 30 Hingham swimmers at practice and even more people during meets. Although there is a public swimming pool located near the center of town at the South Shore Country Club, it can not currently accommodate that many swimmers.

However, a contract was signed at the 2017 town meeting for consideration on whether the old pool at the South Shore Country Club should be replaced. If this is done, members of the project plan to adjust the facility in order to accomodate Hingham’s powerhouse swim team for practices and perhaps even for meets. The tentative schedule for the pool redesign project estimates that the project will be completed by June of 2020, allowing for current freshman on the swim team to spend their senior year at the new and improved facility at the South Shore Country Club.

At the swim team’s end-of-the-season banquet, a leader of the project for the new pool came to speak to the team and introduced the project to the team in order to gauge the reactions of the swimmers. Obviously, many swimmers were very enthusiastic about the idea.

Although only freshmen swimmers will still be on the team by the time the new pool is finished, most of the swimmers found themselves excited over the idea of a new facility regardless. Freshman Cate MacDonald, who could spend her senior year season at the new pool, remarks, “I’m excited to have a new pool because it will probably feel like more of a home since it is in Hingham.” She adds, “I also hope that we can now have a real home meet.”

Many freshmen are also excited to have a more convenient location for the pool. Freshman Michaela O’Brien looks upon her senior season with excitement, stating, “I’m totally excited by the idea of the new pool because it would be so much more convenient than driving to Weymouth everyday.” O’Brien’s reactions to the project were shared amongst a number of her classmates on the swim team.

Unfortunately for members of the current junior and sophomore classes, Connell pool will remain the official practice location for the rest of their high school swim careers, making the time commitment due to transportation a constant throughout their remaining swim team seasons.

The new South Shore Country Club would not only be far more convenient for members of the Hingham swim team, but also for Hingham residents seeking a nearby pool for swim workouts or swim lessons. Many residents who currently wish to do so must drive to either the Connell pool or the popular Weymouth Club pool, which is often occupied by the Waves Swim Team.

Although many of the current swim team members are going to miss out on an opportunity to have a local practice pool, the new pool project at the South Shore Country Club will likely give Hingham’s future swim team members a new home and may also allow the swim team to become closer to the community.