On the Ground: YCP Natatorium Offers Swimmers a Competitive Experience

Charlie Green ’23 knows how important a good natatorium is. In fact, YCP’s Natatorium was a determining factor in his college decision.

“The Natatorium is definitely a big draw for coming here, especially if you want to be a swimmer,” he says.

The dual Accounting and Finance senior, who hails from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is Captain of the Men’s Swimming Team. He first visited the Natatorium at YCP on a campus tour during his senior year of high school.

“They said they’d give me a 30-minute tour,” he says. “I got here at 3 o'clock on a Friday, and I ended up having two admissions counselors give me an hour-and-a-half private tour. They both missed other meetings, so that definitely resonated with me." 

He had mentioned his interest in swimming to his tour guides, who proceeded to take him to the Natatorium, located in the Grumbacher Sport and Fitness Center. He remembers being struck by the size of the pool in comparison to other pools he’d seen in high school.

“I remember being blown away by the 12-lane pool. I had never swum in something that nice; I'd only ever swum in six-lane pools, which are what most high schools have,” he explains.

Now that he’s entering his fourth season swimming with York, the size of the pool in the Natatorium has been a large part of Charlie’s experience. Having 12 lanes versus the eight that most pools in the Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) have has made a huge difference in his training, as it allows for proper warm-ups before races to remove lactic acid buildup.

“Those eight lanes are always being used for competition, which means we have a buffer lane and then we have three other lanes where people and swimmers can warm up and warm down,” he says. “For me, as more of a distance swimmer, it's important that I learned to stretch out, so that's what I really enjoyed being able to do here in this pool.”

He also loves the natural light that comes in through the glass windows of the Natatorium, citing its effects in helping him wake up in the morning.

“As a swimmer, I get up with the crack of dawn. It's nice seeing the sun come up as you get your day going.”

Overall, Charlie’s experience in the Natatorium and on the swim team has been a positive one. From participating in competitions to practices and movie nights hosted by the Campus Activities Board (CAB), the Natatorium has heightened his YCP experience.

“It’s a good atmosphere. It really, really does feel like a home field advantage as much as you can have one,” he says.