WEST FARGO — Since its inauguration in late 2017, the Hulbert Aquatic Center has emerged as a prominent venue for elite swimming and diving events in the region. The cutting-edge facility is now gaining national acclaim. ADVERTISEMENT On Friday, West Fargo Public Schools revealed that the HAC has been nominated for a Readers’ Choice award […]
WEST FARGO — Since its inauguration in late 2017, the Hulbert Aquatic Center has emerged as a prominent venue for elite swimming and diving events in the region.
The cutting-edge facility is now gaining national acclaim.
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On Friday, West Fargo Public Schools revealed that the HAC has been nominated for a Readers’ Choice award by SportsEvents Magazine.
The magazine aims “to assist planners of amateur sporting events and competitions in becoming more effective, informed, and successful with their events,” as stated on its website. It features educational “how-to” articles from experts, news and insights pertaining to sports event planning, interviews with industry leaders, and showcases sports complexes nationwide.
The HAC is competing for the “All-Star Indoor Sports Events Venue” award alongside nine other locations across the United States.
“This is a significant achievement,” remarked Gerald Brown, the director of aquatics at Hulbert. “We have won a similar award previously, but this truly showcases our status as a facility recognized on a national level here in West Fargo.”
“We consistently host major events that yield a substantial economic impact locally, and we attract both regional and national-level swimmers and divers. This reflects not only the robust support our staff provides but also the assistance from our community partners that facilitate these events.”
In 2020, Connect Sports also acknowledged the HAC in its “Best Sports Facilities” competition, specifically under the Aquatics category.
The public can support the HAC by voting on the SportsEvents Magazine website
. Participants may cast their votes as often as they wish until December 31.
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The winners will be highlighted in the February print and digital versions of SportsEvents Magazine.
“I would urge you to vote because I take pride in our West Fargo community, and I hope others do too,” Brown stated. “We are striving to gather as much support as we can for this initiative. There are larger cities (and facilities) on that nomination list.”
“Some of these regions have significantly larger populations than we do, so I’m working to mobilize as many individuals to vote as possible to demonstrate our community’s pride.”
Submitted photo / West Fargo Public Schools
Competing against the HAC in its category are the Cedar Point Sports Center (Ohio), LECOM Sports Park (Pennsylvania), Meadowbrook Athletic Complex (Maryland), Rocky Top Sports World (Tennessee), Round Rock Sports Center (Texas), The Segra Club at Riley Park (South Carolina), Virginia Beach Sports Center (Virginia), Westwood Fitness and Sports Center (Illinois), and Wintrust Sports Complex (Illinois).
The HAC was launched in 2017 after West Fargo schools allocated approximately $18.5 million for the new aquatic facility as part of the $98.1 million bond referendum approved by voters in 2015.
The venue replaced the previous pool at L.E. Berger Elementary School and now accommodates the West Fargo Flyers Swim and Dive Club as well as the teams from West Fargo, Sheyenne, and Horace high schools.
The HAC serves as the official venue for the North Dakota High School Activities Association-sanctioned state swim and dive championships for boys and girls and has previously hosted numerous USA Swimming-sanctioned events, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Swimming and Diving Championships, Summit League Championships, various regional competitions, and more.
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“And that is to mention just a few of the major championship events,” Brown noted. “Last year, we hosted swim meets for a total of 54 days. While many of these were local, they attracted teams from Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota … virtually every meet held here draws competitors from afar.”
David Samson/The Forum
The Hulbert Aquatic Center features an Olympic-sized competition pool with a capacity of 867,000 gallons, the same pool that was utilized during the 2016 Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska. The nonprofit organization UP Aquatics acquired the pool for $900,000 and gifted it to the West Fargo School District for installation at the HAC.
The facility also boasts seating for 1,100 spectators, 640 “on-deck” seats for athletes, a Neptune Benson’s Defender filtration system, an ETS Ultra Violet Water Treatment system, an 11-by-20 Colorado Time System video board, and an in-deck Colorado Time System, as detailed on its website.
Though Brown has served as director of aquatic at the HAC for only about two years, he has been pleased to witness the facility evolve from concept to functioning venue even from a distance.
“For me, it always circles back to the local community,” Brown remarked. “Even in my short tenure here, my involvement in North Dakota swimming for an extended period has allowed me to observe the positive influence (the HAC) has had on the youth who utilize the facility daily.
“The West Fargo Flyers, along with our home high school teams, have all experienced significant growth during this time. I would like to think the facility contributes to this, as well as attracts exceptional coaches. We have fantastic coaches on all these teams who are imparting lessons that go beyond just swimming, which is crucial to me.”
