100 Years of Swimming at UBC
UBC’s varsity swimming history is nearly as old as the University itself. A University Swimming Club was first founded in 1916 and held its practices at Chalmers Church, now the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, located at West 12 and Hemlock Street. The club was exclusively a women’s club until 1922 when student Celmer Ross put together a men’s team.
By 1928, both UBC swim teams had joined ranks and were considered to be formidable competitors. Under the leadership of coaches James Hill and Frank Penwell, the swim teams moved their practices to the newly opened Crystal Pool in Downtown Vancouver. The teams were coached by Percy Norman, and later Doug Whittle, Peter Luztig and Max Howell from the 1930s through the 1950s. During this period, UBC won nine Northwest/Evergreen Conference Championships, and saw swimming greats Elaine Tanner, Mary Stewart, and future Canadian Prime Minister John Turner.
In 1959-1960, UBC won its first Canada West University Championship. The legendary Jack Pomfret became the Head Coach of the Swim teams in 1962, a position he held until 1978. Under his leadership, UBC won its first National Championship in 1964-65. During Pomfret’s tenure, UBC won a second National Championship as well as seven Canada West University championship titles.
In 1978-79, Jack Kelso became the Head Coach of the UBC swimming teams, while swimming alumnus Don Liebermann became coach of the UBC Diving team. Under the guidance of these two coaches, UBC would go on to win two National titles and seven Canada West titles. Kelso coached until 1990 and mentored swimming greats such as Wendy Hogg and Turlough O’Hare.
In 1990-91, Tom Johnson took the reigns beginning his Hall of Fame career as Head Coach of UBC Swimming as well as coaching with Canada’s Olympic swimming teams. In 1993-94, with swimmers such as O’Hare, Kevin Draxinger and Sarah Evanetz, UBC won the first of nineteen National Championships under Johnson’s coaching.
UBC’s “Decade of Dominance” (1998-2007) saw UBC’s swim teams win ten consecutive men’s and women’s National championships and produced 42 national competitors including Draxinger, Evanetz, Jessica Deglau, Marianne Limpert, Mark Versfeld, Brian Johns, Brent Hayden and Kelly Stefanyshyn.
Since 2006-07, under coaches Derrick Schoof, and then later Steven Price and Brian Johns, UBC has won twelve more National titles and produced national level competitors including Olympian Annamay Pierse, Emily Overholt, Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson, Yuri Kisil, and Markus Thornmeyer.
With UBC’s swim teams sweeping the 2016-17 Canada West championships, and the new Aquatic Centre opening in January 2017, the future of swimming at UBC looks to continue the school’s amazing legacy of excellence!
Goodbye to Some Old Friends: History of UBC Pools
UBC has a long history with its swimming facilities. Interest in building a pool for the university were expressed as early as 1920 as UBC was preparing to make the move from its Fairview campus to its current Point Grey location. However, it was not until Vancouver was chosen to host the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games did the talk turn serious. After much debate and deliberation, UBC was selected to host the swimming and diving events for the Games. The pool, which would come to be known as the Empire Pool, was designed by architects Sharpe & Thompson, Berwick, Pratt, who had also designed the newly opened War Memorial Gym. Empire Pool was constructed by Paddock Pools of Los Angeles and Marwell Construction of Vancouver at a cost of $270,000. The Pool opened in June 1954, just in time for the start of the Games with Prince Philip at poolside.
After the Commonwealth Games concluded, UBC took on the daily management of Empire Pool. However, by the early 1970s, pool use reached its maximum capacity. Open from 6 am to 10 pm daily in the summer, Empire Pool hosted everything from varsity swim practice, to community swim, to recreational activities such as canoeing, synchronized swimming and scuba diving, as well as instructional activities such as lifeguard training. Further compounding the issue was the fact that the Pool could only open for limited times during the winter months as the proposed enclosure of the Pool never materialized.
Under the leadership of distinguished swimming coach Jack Pomfret, his associates, and the UBC student body, money was raised to build a new indoor pool facility, to be called the UBC Aquatic Centre. The Centre was designed by local architects Carlberg Jackson Partners, and opened September 27, 1978.
The two pools served UBC and surrounding communities until February 2014, when a critical system failure forced the closure of the Empire Pool, nearly 60 years after it first opened. The Pool was the last British Empire and Commonwealth Games facility in Vancouver to be dismantled. Soon after this decision, it was decided to replace the aging Aquatic Centre with a new pool facility. Designed by local architects MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller + Acton Ostry, the new facility opened in January 2017.
UBC Swimming Timeline
- 1916
- UBC’s first swimming club is founded. The club is exclusively a women’s club until 1922 when a men’s team is formed.
- 1928
- UBC swim teams join ranks. Under the leadership of coaches James Hill and Frank Penwell, the swim teams practice out of Crystal Pool in Downtown Vancouver.
- 1930s-1950s
- UBC swim teams are coached by Percy Norman and later Doug Whittle, Peter Lusztig, and Max Howell. During this period, UBC won nine United States based Northwest/Evergreen Conference Championships.
- 1948
- Irene Strong becomes the first UBC swimmer to compete for Canada at an Olympic Games. She competes in the 1948 Olympics in London, England as well as the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland.
- 1953
- UBC is selected to host the swimming and diving events for the British Empire and Commonwealth Games. The new pool, dubbed “Empire Pool,” is designed by architects Sharp & Thompson, Berwick, Pratt.
- 1954
- Empire Pool opens in June, just in time for the start of the Games.
- 1959-1960
- UBC wins its first Canada West University Championship.
- 1960
- Swimmer Marg Iwasaki competes in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Italy.
- 1962
- The legendary Jack Pomfret becomes head coach of the UBC swimming team.
- 1964
- Diver Tom Dinsley and swimmer Jane Hughes compete in the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
- 1964-1965
- The men’s swim team wins UBC’s first Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU) National Championship.
- 1968
- Swimmers Ken Campbell, Bill Mahony, George Smith, and Jeanne Warren compete in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Mexico.
- Early 1970s
- Empire Pool use reaches capacity. Jack Pomfret, his associates, and the UBC student body begin to campaign for a new pool to be built.
- 1972
- Swimmers Wendy Cook, Bill Mahony, and Karen James compete in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, West Germany. Mahony, along with teammates Erik Fish, Bruce Robertson and, Robert Kasting, wins the bronze medal in the 4×100 m medley relay.
- 1975
- Construction begins for the new Aquatic Centre in late November 1975. The new pool is designed by architects Carlberg Jackson & Partners.
- 1978
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- Jack Pomfret steps down as head coach. Under his tenure, UBC swim teams won two CIAU Championships and seven Canada West Championships.
- Jack Kelso becomes Head Coach of the UBC Swimming teams.
- Don Liebermann becomes Head Coach of the UBC Diving team, a position he would hold until 1988.
- The new UBC Aquatic Centre officially opens in September, 1978.
- 1980
- Swimmer Bruce Berger makes the Olympic team, however does not compete as Canada joins the boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.
- 1984
- UBC student Helen Chow competes in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, but swims for her home country of Malaysia.
- 1988
- Turlough O’Hare competes in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.
- 1990
- Jack Kelso retires from his position as head coach. Under his leadership, UBC won two CIAU Championships, and seven Canada West Championships.
- 1990-1991
- Tom Johnson begins his Hall of Fame career as Head Coach of UBC swimming.
- 1992
- Swimmers Kevin Draxinger and Turlough O’Hare, as well as UBC Head Coach Tom Johnson, represent for Team Canada in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
- 1996
- Swimmers Jessica Deglau and Sarah Evanetz, as well as UBC Head Coach Tom Johnson, represent for Team Canada in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, United States.
- 1998
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- Mark Versfeld wins the silver medal in the 100m backstroke and the bronze medal in the 200m backstroke at the 1998 World Aquatics Championships in Perth, Australia.
- UBC partners with Swimming Canada and Canadian Sport Institute-Pacific to become a National High Perfomance Centre, one of only three in Canada.
- 1998-2007
- UBC’s “Decade of Dominance” sees UBC’s swim teams win ten consecutive men’s and women’s Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) National Championships and produce 42 national competitors.
- 2000
- A large contingent from UBC represents for Team Canada including Kate Brambley, Jessica Deglau, Matthew Huang, Dustin Hersee, Brian Johns, Mark Johnston, Marianne Limpert, Tim Peterson, Garrett Pulle, Kelly Stefanshyn, and Mark Versfeld, as well as coaches Tom Johnson and Randy Bennett, at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
- 2003
- Brian Johns sets a world record in the 400m individual medley (short course), clocking in at 4:02.72. While swimming for UBC, Johns won 33 CIS gold medals, a record at that time.
- 2004
- Swimmers Scott Dickens, Brent Hayden, Brian Johns and Mark Johnston, as well as coach Tom Johnson represent for Team Canada at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.
- 2006
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- Johnson steps down as Head Coach. Under his leadership, UBC swim teams won nineteen CIS Championships and twenty one Canada West Championships.
- Derrick Schoof becomes Head Coach of the Thunderbirds, leading UBC to six CIS Championships.
- 2007
- Brent Hayden ties for gold in the 100 m freestyle at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships, setting a Canadian record time of 45.66 seconds. Hayden would also win bronze in the 4×200 m freestyle relay.
- 2008
- Swimmers Brent Hayden, Brian Johns, Savannah King and Annamay Pierse, as well as former Head Coach Tom Johnson, represent for Team Canada at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.
- 2009
- Annamay Pierse breaks the world record in the 200m breaststroke (short course), posting a time of 2:17.50. She would also win silver in the 200m long course in the same year at the World Aquatics Championship in Rome, Italy.
- 2011
- Steve Price becomes Head Coach of the Thunderbirds swim teams. Since 2017, under his leadership, UBC swim teams have won six CIS (now U Sports) Championships.
- 2012
- Swimmers Scott Dickens, Tommy Gossland, Savannah King, Heather MacLean, Martha McCabe, and Tera Van Beilen, as well as former UBC swimmer Brent Hayden and former Head Coach Tom Johnson, represent for Team Canada at the 2012 Olympics in London, England. Hayden wins the bronze medal in the 100m freestyle.
- 2014
- Empire Pool closes nearly 60 years after it first opened.
- 2015
- UBC swimming prospect, Emily Overholt, wins bronze in the 400 medley at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan Russia, setting a new Canadian record time of 4:32.52.
- 2016
- Swimmers Yuri Kisil, Emily Overholt, Martha McCabe, Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson, and Markus Thormeyer, as well as Head Coach Steve Price and former head coach Tom Johnson, represent Team Canada at the 2016 Olympic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Overholt swims in the heats of the 4x200m freestyle relay, which would go on to win the bronze medal.
- 2017
- The new Aquatic Centre, designed by architects MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects (MJMA) and Acton Ostry Architects, officially opens January 2017.
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