World-Class Natatorium

Underwater Excellence: Wi-Fi can do THAT?

In the hyper competitive world of collegiate athletics, the edge can come from unexpected places – like beneath the surface of an Olympic-size pool, vividly captured by underwater and above water cameras that synchs in real time to a poolside wirelessly enabled device.  At one U.S. university, underwater cameras enable coaches to evaluate the form and cadence of a swimmer’s stroke in real time, viewing live video on an iPad.  Student swimmers pop up, discuss exactly what’s happening underwater and kick off to apply what they learned, barely missing a stroke.

Building on a legacy of Olympians, world records and national titles, our client university recently built a 40,000-sf state-of-the-sport aquatic center with an Olympic-size pool, class rooms, locker rooms and seating for 800 spectators.  To capture the lead in both athletic performance and recruitment, the institution engaged M S Benbow to design and build a seamless, high speed, integrated HD Wi-Fi and network solution. MSB’s solution that was both fan-facing and coach-facing: driving fan engagement and athletic success with the best and fastest network technology available.

The unique Wi-Fi application to underwater and above water cameras is a win-win for coaches, student athletes, spectators and the University.  Coaches can eliminate the guess-work involved in understanding what might keep a good swimmer from being a great one.  Student-athletes are particularly attracted to the promise of technology to improve their performance.  Spectators enjoy the same excellent Wi-Fi speeds that they do elsewhere on campus, making it all the easier for them to engage on social media and with university sponsored promotions and offerings.

Technology-assisted performance evaluation is particularly powerful in the highly competitive world of recruitment, and coupled with their impressive winning record, our client has the lead in attracting the country’s top swimming candidates.

“We listened closely to understand what our client was trying to achieve for students, fans and staff.   We then converged those needs into holistic wireless design that delighted fans and empowered coaches, teachers and athletes to connect and excel.”

– Ken Wright