JULY 2025

Off The Blocks

August 2025

Off the Blocks makes an explosive move forward with today’s installment, a fresh approach to sharing noteworthy items from Myrtha Pools and Wellness for the North American audience. We hope aquatically minded folks everywhere enjoy the new platform. And with that in mind, take your mark …

Myrtha Ready Room

Island Park: Fargo, North Dakota

Island Park Pool was a beloved aquatic spot in downtown Fargo, ND, but it was overdue for an upgrade. It certainly got one, as the same site now boasts a new 8-lane, 50-meter Myrtha tank known as the Zach and Connor Kvalvog Competition Pool. The vessel features deep water to accept rec swimmers taking advantage of the Fly Time Slide, a long ski-jump-esque chute which launches brave participants high in the air before splashdown. The outdoor complex also includes a robust array of more conventional slides and recreational water. The early returns have been incredibly successful, with the facility achieving its best summer ever in terms of usage in 2025. Island Park adds to the growing list of successful collaborations between aquatic engineer Water Technology, Inc., Associated Pool Builders, Inc., and Myrtha Pools. The project team also included architect Zerr Berg and general contractor Gast Construction.

Hopkins County YMCA - Madisonville, Kentucky

Hopkins County YMCA, located in Madisonville in northwestern Kentucky, is unveiling a sharp two-pool outdoor project sure to delight users. The main pool is a 25-yard competition vessel that combines Myrtha’s RenovAction technique with standard new panel sections. The pool provides plenty of recreational opportunities and features a 42-foot entry ramp that gracefully satisfies ADA requirements. The complex also includes an all-new smaller, shallow warmwater pool perfectly suited to infant and toddler use with a broad shelf of water at a forgiving 8-inch depth. Key partners on the project included pool contractor DWR Aquatics Inc. and aquatic consultant Brandstetter Carroll.

Myrtha Forever

Quakertown Community Pool: Quakertown, Pennsylvania

Quakertown Community Pool - Quakertown, Pennsylvania

In 2004, Myrtha was selected to help restore the Borough of Quakertown’s struggling concrete community pool. To stay within the project’s budget, we utilized a variation of our patented panel technology along with our proprietary membrane.

Eighteen years later, in 2022, Myrtha was chosen again. We completely removed the pool's wall and floor membrane, Softwalk flooring, gutter grating, and waterline tile, replacing them with our advanced, modern materials. We also installed new PVC lane lines and targets, as well as our elegant waterline membrane, which replaced the previous hard-to-maintain waterline tile.

We Built That

The Splash at University of Miami: Miami, Florida

The Splash at University of Miami - Miami, Florida

For innovative and unprecedented design, look no further than The Splash, the University of Miami’s Marine and Atmospheric Sciences research facility. Built on the beautiful (but ever-shifting) sands of Biscayne Bay, this state-of-the-art Myrtha Training Dive Pool faced numerous challenges during its design and construction process. However, when it comes to pools, there’s no puzzle we can’t solve—whether it's navigating a complex dewatering process or uncovering an unexpected foundation beneath the site. One of only a few facilities of its kind in the world, this training pool measures 75 feet by 50 feet, showcasing Myrtha's meticulous planning and determination.

World of Myrtha

Competition Pools

Aomori Prefecture Sports Park - Aomori, Japan

The Aomori Prefecture Sports Park, also known as the Maeda Arena, is located in Aomori City, the capital of Aomori Prefecture. This facility strives to be a premier multi-sport center, offering an indoor space for a variety of athletic disciplines. The Aomori Prefecture Sports Park serves as a vital hub for the entire region, set against a striking backdrop that blends modernity with tradition.

Myrtha Pools has enhanced the facility by designing and constructing an Olympic-size swimming pool, with support from Obayashi Corporation, a leading builder in Asia known for significant projects such as Tokyo Central Station.

The pool at the Maeda Arena features two movable floors, enabling flexible use across various aquatic activities. A standout feature provided by Myrtha Pools is the Submersible Bulkhead, which can slide longitudinally to divide the pool into two sections. This greatly enhances the pool's versatility and adaptability, making the facility ideal for a multifunctional sports center like Aomori.

Sandusky High School - Sandusky, Ohio

Sandusky HIgh School in Ohio has a rich tradition in swimming, and Myrtha Pools recently helped enrich that impressive legacy. In 2022, Sandusky celebrated its 100th year of students participating in swimming and diving - but the facilities were not quite keeping up with all that history. The Jackson Jr. High pool had operated from 1927 to 2010, and the original pool at the high school functioned between 1956 and 2023 - both serving Sandusky City Schools in various capacities. In addition to providing training waters for the high school teams, they also were home to Sandusky Aquatics Swim Club, a middle school competitive team, a synchronized swim club called The Swan Club and of course swim lessons and many other community aquatic activities. In the spring of 2025, a new chapter started in Sandusky with the addition of the Sandusky Aquatic Center, anchored by a new 6-lane Myrtha competitive pool. This project had a long timeline, but it was very much worth the wait. "Myrtha Pools and (regional sales/marketing coordinator) Pete Tarnapoll were with us every step of the way," says Sandusky High School and Sandusky Aquatics Swim Club coach Tommy Patterson. "They shared our vision of providing our students, athletes and community with the best opportunity to swim. Pete was amazing to work with and his understanding of our vision was instrumental. He really got us to the finish line with a pool we are all proud to call home. In my opinion, it is the best pool I have even swam in." The community support has also been strong. The Swan Club hosted a showcase in the new pool, and Sandusky showed up in force for a special "Jump In" event. This pool demonstrates the total value of the Myrtha approach, as it included a RenovAction of the existing pool but with key functional modifications to allow for wider lanes, competition inlets, new blocks and a step entry, all as part of a revamping of the entire natatorium, including the locker rooms. With a new school year starting, the aquatic center is brimming with excitement provided by students who are seeing the new facility for the first time. "I know having the pool that Myrtha produced for us will have a tremendous and immediate impact for our students and athletes," Patterson said. "I am excited to really get our season under way and showcase our pool. They (Myrtha) gave us a new Blue Streak home where we can, and will, continue to add to the great tradition at Sandusky."

The Road to Gold is Paved in Steel

181 Myrtha Records

The World Aquatics Swimming Championships held in Singapore delivered a dazzling array of memorable performances in a special Myrtha Pool created just for this important event. The total of best-ever performances produced in a Myrtha pool grew by three. Leon Marchand erased one of the toughest world records on the books by winning the 200-meter individual medley in 1:52.69 – well ahead of the long-standing mark of 1:54.00 set by Ryan Lochte that many considered to be untouchable. Joining in the fastest-ever category were the U.S. women’s 4 x 100 medley relay featuring Regan Smith, Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske, and also the U.S. mixed 4 x 100 free relay with Jack Alexy, Patrick Sammon, Douglass and Huske. The meet also featured dozens of national records for the many countries represented, along with a gold medal for U.S. standout Katharine Berkoff – the daughter of Northwest Sales and Marketing leader Shirley Gustafson.

The World Junior Championships held in Otopeni, Romania during late August also provided an incredible stage for some of the top emerging talent on the planet in a meet limited to competitors 18 years of age and younger. Men’s records were established in the 50 free, the 50 breaststroke and all three relays. In the women’s events, the U.S. quartet of Rylee Erisman, Liberty Clark, Julie Mishler and Lily King lowered the world record in the 4 x 100 free relay to 3:35.53. This is in addition to dozens of meet and national records established, strongly suggesting that future elite international events could see an avalanche of bests.

Meet the Team

Libby Storts

Design & Project Management Team

Libby Storts is the most recent addition to the growing design team at Myrtha Pools USA. A product of central Iowa, including a collegiate education which featured a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Iowa, Libby will be helping manage designs in the U.S. and will also assist the project management team. Based in Denver, she plans to continue enjoying mountain biking, sewing, and treks with her dog, Patches O’Houlihan, when she is not immersed in refining the design of excellent swimming pools.

At Myrtha, sustainability matters. Whether it is our factory that runs on a heat recovery system from our manufacturing processes, our industry-leading efficient recirculation technologies, or our state-of-the-art components that contain upwards of 60 percent recycled content; we keep sustainability and our environmental impact at the forefront of everything we do. The sophistication and elegance of Myrtha’s engineering allows our cutting-edge stainless-steel pool shells to be constructed with less steel than a conventionally built concrete pool while simultaneously having better structural characteristics. Just think about what that means! The expertise of Myrtha’s engineers, scientists and designers allow us to do more with less for the benefit of our clients. A Myrtha pool shell has been independently evaluated to have as high as a 50 percent reduced carbon footprint when compared to an equivalent conventionally built concrete shell. Our owners make a conscious and educated choice to choose the best, and when they do so, they can know that they are also choosing the best for future generations.

Out & About with Myrtha

Demonstrating support for aquatics beyond competitive swim racing, Northeast Sales and Marketing manager Jon Cleveland and Myrtha Pools helped organize support for a series of outdoors water polo events held in New York City this summer. Hosted by Inclusive Wellness NYC and Michael Randazzo, this effort fits perfectly with Myrtha's overall objective in the city - to build and renovate pools and put bodies of water into operation to further serve the community's overall well-being, and to save lives. From mid-July to mid-August, a roster of accomplished coaches and players conducted youth water polo clinics in Rego Park, in Queens. Respected East Coast college coach Carl Quigley led groups of 25 players ranging in age from 6 to 16 through a variety of essential drills before each session ended in a full scrimmage in the Park City pool. Quigley had great help from a who’s who of coaches, referees and players from the area, and went out of his way to thank Cleveland and Myrtha Pools for their sponsorship of the series and for helping to grow outdoors water polo through a long, hot summer in NYC.

Make mine a Myrtha

If your community needs a new pool, or already has one that needs attention, get in touch with us. We are always eager to help aquatically minded folks find paths to unlocking access to new waters.

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