In 1922, plans for the construction of Omaha North High School were underway. The architecture firm of John Latenser and Sons, selected to design the school, planned to include science labs, shop classrooms, a swimming pool and auditorium according to the North Omaha History website. 

After running into problems with the construction site, the district decided against using the swimming pool design because the cost was excessively high, though the grand gymnasium provided compensation for it according to the North Omaha History website. 

Although the large gym is useful for many sports such as basketball, volleyball and other activities, the absence of a pool has provided North’s swim team with challenges.  

For years, North’s swim team has relied on the nearby middle school, McMillan Magnet Center, for their practices. The middle school is seven minutes (2.2 miles) away from North. 

In order to get to practice each day, the team must rely on each other. Buses to practice are not provided because of the size of the swim team. Before the season, the athletic department meets with the coaches to discuss problems such as this.  

“There is no transportation to get to McMillan… you have got to find your own way,” said Jay Pospisil, 11. The older members of the team often give the younger students rides to practice. 

Pospisil first started swimming at their neighborhood pool, Sunny Slope, as soon as their brother was able to throw them in and teach them how. They joined North’s swim team their freshman year and have been swimming ever since.  

Although the lack of a pool at North does not affect how much Pospisil enjoys swimming, it does reduce the number of people that try out for the swim team. Pospisil has spoken to a few people who were interested in joining, but once they discovered there was not any transportation to McMillan, have decided against trying out for the team.  

Naomi Long, 12, has been swimming competitively since she was nine. As a member of the swim team, she thinks swimming would be more popular if North had a pool of its’ own. 

“The swim team just feels like an outside thing to North,” says Long. 

Carpooling is also an issue for some students’ parents. Pospisil has run into quite a few problems regarding this issue.  

“It is kind of complicated, especially for people [parents] who have rules,” said Pospisil. 

Pospisil has had to deal with parents that do not allow their own children to ride with teenage drivers, which can cause difficulty getting to McMillan each day for practice. 

The busy parking lot does not help. Students who participate in the swim team are expected to get to practice by 3:30 PM. But getting out of the North parking lot and into the McMillan lot is not an easy task, especially in the winter according to Long. 

The swim coaches have mentioned to the students that if North had a pool, there would be both morning and night practices.  

“It [the practices] affects how we do throughout the season,” said Long. 

Long believes that having a pool at North would help the swim team improve and get better because of the additional early morning practices.  

Finding staff to help with swim-related events at McMillan is also an obstacle that must be dealt with. If North had its’ own pool, Eric Johnson, assistant principal and athletic director, believes hosting swim meets would be easier. If the staff are already at the school, they are more willing to assist than if they are forced to travel elsewhere. 

Although the lack of pool at North comes with challenges, there are certain perks that the team has noticed.  

“Having the drive over there [to McMillan] gives you time to unwind from school… and get ready for another thing,” said Pospisil.  

The break between activities allows students time to eat a snack and disconnect from school before they must focus on swimming.  

As of 2024, there has not been any talk of adding a pool to North. Johnson, says that if a pool were to be added, it would be based on need, but currently, it is not the top priority.  

“Obviously we [North] have need for that, but I think right now… every high school has a situation where they have somewhere to practice,” said Johnson. 

Although there is no pool at North, Johnson still enjoys going to watch the athletes swim in competitions and hopes that the swim team will continue to grow and build towards success.