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Contact: Sally Thompson
American Consulting Engineers Council |
Article
taken from March/April American Consulting Engineers Council magazine |
Isnt
a Pool a Pool?
"Next time you see a swimming
competition on TV, or any other sporting event, know that design professional play a very
important role in the success or failure of the competitors." That slice of
engineering/land surveying in our lives comes from Jim Sullins, executive vice president
of the Consulting Engineers of Oklahoma, swimming enthusiast, and director of an annual
national swim competition.
Isnt a pool a pool? No, insists
Sullins. "Gutter and circulation systems, lane dividers, even the type surface on
pool walls and bottom, can mean a big difference on how fast the pool will
be." According to national rules, accredited surveyors or engineers must certify that
(in certain pools) "the tolerance against the required length is no greater than .03
meters in a vertical plane extending 12 inches above and 2 feet, 7.5 inches below the
surface of the water."
Records in other sports float or sink,
too, on the verifications of engineers and surveyors, Sullins reminds us. Basketball hoops
must be precisely 10 feet above the court, football fields 100 yards from goal line to
goal line. "While it is the competitors who must perform, the design professionals
assure that facilities conform to highly defined rules."
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