This page is on-going with questions based upon emails I receive.  If there is a question that you have that is currently not answered here or anywhere else on this website, then please feel free to contact us at 956-698-0064.

1) Why is the pool not open more often for Wellness  swimming?
    The Aquatic Center is in use from 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM year-round with all sorts of various programs  taking place.   Our main responsibility is to provide adequate space for the second-grade, middle and  high school life-skills    “Fundamentals of Swimming Program”. Another dilemma is to provide each of 
the 5 high schools and 10 middle schools of the Brownsville ISD during the school year, and the 4 community aquatic youth-organizations that lease the Aquatic Center year-round to train properly and be competitive. The couple of daytime hours when the Aquatic  Center does not have any activity scheduled is downtime for daily maintenance.

2) What are the pool dimensions and its configurations?
    The Aquatic Center pool is 50 meters long with a moveable bulkhead which is placed in position  according to the current high school season allowing for an easy division of two 25 yard or meter  sections when needed. The pool  is also 25 yards wide allowing for 22 comfortable lanes that are each about 7.5 feet wide.  Following the high school seasons, our pool is configured as follows:  From August - May:  Two, 18 lane, 25 yard sections with space for Diving 
From May - August:  Monday-Friday:    8 lane, 50 meters with sections for aquarobics, wellness swimming and youth  aquatic organizations who lease Aquatic Center pool space.

3) How long is my membership valid?
    All memberships sold during the year have a limited period not to exceed a 30-day expiration date. During peak-summer months however it is possible for programs to be limited due to class limits therefore it is recommended that memberships be kept current as there is not a contract period!

4) What is the “Fundamentals of Swimming is a S.N.A.P.” program?
    The “Fundamentals of Swimming and Special Needs Aquatic Program” is an American Red Cross based lesson program designed for B.I.S.D. second grade and Lifeskills students. The focus is on water exploration and aquatic safety.  All  instructors are American Red Cross Certified.

 5) What is the “American Red Cross Learn-to-swim” program?

     The Aquatic Center’s Summer American Red Cross aquatic program designed to establish a Level of competence strictly formatted to advance a participant onto the next of  7 levels.  All instructors are American Red Cross Certified and a class ratio is 8:1 One level is usually mastered in one session (8 lessons) and each lesson is (30) minutes in length.  As long as all lessons are met on time with good  participation.

6) What is the Ground-Breaking date of the new pool?
    Currently, the Margaret M. Clark Adaptive Addition is scheduled to have  the ground-breaking ceremony tentatively set for mid-November. The Adapted Aquatics facility is scheduled to be completed within 210 days from the first day of digging.  Kell-Munoz from McAllen, Water Technology from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin and Jamal Construction will oversee the projects completion.

7) Who should I contact should my child wish to join a club team?
    The requirements vary between clubs but usually a new participant would be starting within a team’s current progression.  The bare minimum requirements usually call for:  (1) basic breath control (2) basic balance, sculling (3) demonstration of freestyle with bilateral breathing (side breathing comfortably to both sides), (4) demonstration of backstroke with the head comfortably back and relaxed with the hips up.  Knowledge of Breaststroke and Butterfly is a plus. For further information you can contact the following organizations who practice at the Aquatic Center daily form 6:00-8:00 p.m.: 

    Brownsville Aquatic Great Whites: Coach Ryan Shea 

8) How do I prepare for or sign-up for my High School Team?
    All Age-Group or Middle School swimmers or Divers who training with A U.S.S. or U.S.D. program  are usually automatically accepted onto their future high school swimming and diving team.  If you are not currently training with U.S.S. or U.S.D. program, then you will need to contact your respective high school coach.  Every school has a different set of standards, so only the coach of the school you are planning to attend can help you figure out what those standards are.  CLICK HERE to take you to our high school coaches contact page