DEL MAR — After decades of having to travel off-campus for practices and competitions, aquatics athletes in the San Dieguito Union High School District finally have a pool to call home at Torrey Pines High School.
On Tuesday morning, district leaders and community members celebrated the opening of the long-awaited aquatics center, approved by the district board in 2024 for just under $20 million. The center will be used for the district’s water polo, swimming, and diving teams, starting with those from Torrey Pines and Canyon Crest Academy.
District Superintendent Anne Staffieri said this moment has been 88 years in the making and follows advocacy from countless athletes, families, coaches, and officials.
“For almost a century, our student athletes and their families have traveled far, rented lanes, and practiced in borrowed water. That ends today,” Staffieri said.
The 37-meter, 520,000-gallon pool features 15 lanes, 10 of which are competition lanes with starting blocks and electronic timing systems. It also has two diving boards and reaches a depth of 12 feet.
The aquatic center also includes sports lighting, a scoreboard and timing mechanisms, and buildings with locker rooms and bathrooms, team rooms, offices, storage, a first aid station, concessions, equipment, and pump rooms.
The district broke ground on the pool in September 2024.
“For me, having worked out in this district a long time, this is the most exciting project that I’ve ever been a part of,” said Joe Mansfield of RNT Architects, which designed the project.
Torrey Pines girls varsity water polo senior captain Madeline Fletcher said the pool is a game-changer for the team. Fletcher and her teammates previously drove 30 minutes every day to practice at Mt. Carmel High School, finishing at 9 p.m., making it difficult to balance homework and studying.
Now, the team can go straight to practice on campus after school and have their peers cheer them on at their home games.
“Now having a pool here means more time, more energy, and a real chance to grow our program,” Fletcher said. “This pool gives us a chance to train at a higher level every single day, to sharpen our skills, push ourselves, and compete the way we’ve always wanted to.”
The dive team at Torrey Pines has historically practiced at Cathedral High School, and other aquatics teams in the district have practiced at the Encinitas YMCA, the Boys and Girls Club, and Alga Norte Aquatic Center in Carlsbad.
Staffieri said the plan is to accommodate all teams in the district that want to use the pool, saving them time and money they would otherwise spend on renting a facility.
District officials recognized the years of hard work and dedication by groups like the parent-led San Dieguito Pools Committee, whose members advocated for a pool at board meetings for several years.
Committee member Todd Mitchell said while they will continue to advocate for an eventual second pool in the northern part of the district, the opening of the Torrey Pines Pool is an incredible milestone.
“Pools provide a platform for lifesaving skills, athletic achievement, healthy lifestyles, rehabilitation, career development, and much more. While this facility is located at Torrey Pines, this is a win for everyone in the San Dieguito Union High School District,” Mitchell said.
The completion of the aquatic center marked the closeout of a three-phase athletic facilities project at Torrey Pines. The first phase renovated the school’s athletic fields and tennis courts, and repaired amenities at the school’s softball fields in response to Title IX complaints; the second phase modernized the locker rooms.
NOTE: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that SDA is transitioning to hold aquatic sport practices at the new Torrey Pines pool, but this has not yet been confirmed.
