Rose Bowl Aquatics Center

Directors of the Amateur Athletic Foundation Rose Bowl Aquatics Center are seeking to restructure a $4-million city loan after paying $340,000 on a $700,000 payment due Dec. 31. The center paid only about half the loan payment because the center had paid more than $350,000 in improvements to Brookside Park before the pools opened in June, said Nicholas Conway, an aquatics center board member. "How can we pay for the construction change orders and then turn around and pay the debt, too?"

ABC's new celebrity diving competition show "Splash" lines up the usual suspects for such a reality series -- actors, actresses, pro athletes, a beauty queen and even a Playboy model. And then there's Louie Anderson. The 59-year-old, 400-plus-pound comedian may not be the favorite to win, but his very presence may help determine how big a splash the show, which premieres Tuesday, will eventually make. "I didn't look at this as a show that's going to make fun of me even though some people probably do when they hear about it," Anderson said on a recent morning while practicing at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena.

The Board of Directors voted Tuesday to more than double its contribution to the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center to $1 million, clearing the way for construction of one of the nation's largest swimming complexes at Brookside Park. Mark Pisano, former chairman of the Rose Bowl Aquatics Corp., said ground will be broken for swimming pools and a clubhouse at the southern end of the park within a few weeks, and the complex should be open by the summer of 1990. Pisano, who is executive director of the Southern California Assn.

The crystal clear waters of the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center are calm, but poolside, things are getting rough these days with a lawsuit and allegations of racism that are a reminder of a past that many in Pasadena would just as soon forget. Nestled in Pasadena's Arroyo Seco in the shadow of the Rose Bowl, this sparkling oasis is one of Southern California's premier swimming and diving facilities.

Marc and Kathy Dumais go a lot farther than most parents do to support their children's athletics. For three years, they have driven 136 miles a day to bring three of their sons--Justin, 14; Troy, 13; and Brice, 12--from their home in Ventura to their diving practice facility in Pasadena. Most days after school, Kathy would load their 1985 Chevy Suburban--packed with homework, snacks, and two other children, Leanne, 9; and Dwight, 7--and drive an hour and a half to the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center.

Peter Ueberroth will deliver the keynote speech Sunday at a fund-raising event to benefit the Amateur Athletic Foundation Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena. The affair begins at 5 p.m. at the Aquatics Center.

The Norman Chandler Challenge Triathlon will be held Sunday at 8 a.m. in Pasadena. The event begins with a three-mile run in the hills near the Rose Bowl, continues with a 10-mile bike ride around the stadium and concludes with a 400-meter swim in one of the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center pools. The center was built in conjunction with the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles and completed last June. It includes two 50-meter pools and a diving tower.

Pasadena is clearing the way for construction of one of the nation's largest swimming complexes near the Rose Bowl, voting to more than double its contribution to the project to $1 million. Project officials said that ground will be broken within a few weeks for the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center--a complex of swimming pools and a clubhouse at the southern end of Brookside Park--and that the facility should be open by the summer of 1990. The city's Board of Directors has agreed to provide construction financing by issuing certificates of participation and to pay about 20% of the project's $4.9-million cost.

ABC's new celebrity diving competition show "Splash" lines up the usual suspects for such a reality series -- actors, actresses, pro athletes, a beauty queen and even a Playboy model. And then there's Louie Anderson. The 59-year-old, 400-plus-pound comedian may not be the favorite to win, but his very presence may help determine how big a splash the show, which premieres Tuesday, will eventually make. "I didn't look at this as a show that's going to make fun of me even though some people probably do when they hear about it," Anderson said on a recent morning while practicing at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena.

The crystal clear waters of the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center are calm, but poolside, things are getting rough these days with a lawsuit and allegations of racism that are a reminder of a past that many in Pasadena would just as soon forget. Nestled in Pasadena's Arroyo Seco in the shadow of the Rose Bowl, this sparkling oasis is one of Southern California's premier swimming and diving facilities.

Barely a week after he lost his job as the head coach for Rose Bowl Aquatics, Terry Stoddard created a new position for himself, and he's taking most of his best swimmers with him. Stoddard said Thursday that he is starting the Pasadena Aquatic Club and will hold workouts at Blair High. "We don't have a lot of money, but we're hoping for support from the community," Stoddard said. He already has support from his high school swimmers.

Terry Stoddard felt as if he had finally made it to the big time as a swim coach. One of his proteges stood on the highest level of the podium at the national championships, a gold medal in her hand. But what was that in her other hand? Stoddard's moment of glory quickly deteriorated into nausea. Debbie Babashoff was proudly hugging a license plate that read: "DEB 442." Deb had indeed won the 500-yard freestyle in 4:42, but this didn't look like a novelty-shop replica.

Marc and Kathy Dumais go a lot farther than most parents do to support their children's athletics. For three years, they have driven 136 miles a day to bring three of their sons--Justin, 14; Troy, 13; and Brice, 12--from their home in Ventura to their diving practice facility in Pasadena. Most days after school, Kathy would load their 1985 Chevy Suburban--packed with homework, snacks, and two other children, Leanne, 9; and Dwight, 7--and drive an hour and a half to the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center.

East side, west side, all around the town, the swim-suited set splashes away the summer hours to the shouts of "Stop running!" and "No diving!" While the Board of Supervisors ponders closing 24 of Los Angeles County's 55 pools as a cost-cutting step, in the city pools of Pasadena and Culver City, the water remains relatively calm in the storm. Here, two View staff writers report on a day at the cement shores. . . .

Rose Bowl Aquatics is Terry Stoddard's swim club. His and his alone. There will be no more references about him being a caretaker. No second-guessing his techniques. No, "That's nice Terry, but when Mark Schubert was coach . . . " He's building, not maintaining. Last summer, Stoddard resigned as coach of the Mission Viejo Nadadores, a job he had held since 1986. He walked away from an internationally known club. In doing so, he walked out from under a shadow.

Despite defaulting on a $350,000 loan payment to the city late last year, the financially troubled Rose Bowl Aquatics Center is in better shape than it was a year ago, center officials said this week. The $6.5-million public swimming facility in Brookside Park has aggressive new management that has developed a plan to pay off the center's debt to the city. They hope that the kinds of snafus that plagued the facility last year will not recur, executive director Bernard Brown said.

Eighteen years after Mark Schubert started to build Mission Viejo into a national powerhouse, Brian Murphy is beginning a similar challenge at the AAF Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena. All of the ingredients are present for Murphy's Rose Bowl Aquatics team to develop into one of U.S. Swimming's best clubs. Its $6.

Despite defaulting on a $350,000 loan payment to the city late last year, the financially troubled Rose Bowl Aquatics Center is in better shape than it was a year ago, center officials said this week. The $6.5-million public swimming facility in Brookside Park has aggressive new management that has developed a plan to pay off the center's debt to the city. They hope that the kinds of snafus that plagued the facility last year will not recur, executive director Bernard Brown said.

Terry Stoddard, formerly coach of the Mission Viejo Nadadores, was selected as coach of the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center Swim Team, replacing Brian Murphy.

The Amateur Athletic Foundation Rose Bowl Aquatic Center opened amid much fanfare in 1990 with a goal of becoming one of the nation's premiere training and competition facilities. Outfitted with two Olympic-size pools, several springboards and a platform diving tower, fund-raisers hoped diving enthusiasts would gravitate to Pasadena, creating interest and participation by would-be Greg Louganises of all ages.