Hadley Bodell
Editor in Chief
With the grand reopening of the pool on November 20th, I got the opportunity to sit down with Kaydene Gilbert, an alumnus of ISU and former swimmer, tennis player, skier, and Bengalette dancer for the university. Gilbert has incredible memories of Reed’s Gym Swimming Pool and was kind enough to share some with us in anticipation of the reopening.
Despite being a swimmer for the Pocatello Swim Team in her high school years, Gilbert was disappointed when she came to ISU, and there was no women’s swim team. Her time here was between 1962 and 1965, and the only options for women’s swimming were the intramural leagues.
She said, “I thought I would do the swim team at ISU but found out there was no women’s swim team. So I did team swimming through intramurals as well as the program of synchronized swimming or water ballet.”
The men’s swim team at ISU, coached by our very own Milton “Dubby” Holt, whom Holt Arena was named after, was an incredibly talented group of men. During one of Gilbert’s years, they posted a 9-1 record and took second place at the Big Sky meet.
Not only was the pool in its glory days a place for these fantastic swimmers and divers to practice, but it was also an event venue for ISU students. The student government would organize fun events like synchronized swimming shows for students to attend. Gilbert performed in several of these and remembered them fondly.
She said, “This beautiful pool at ISU had lights underwater that provided perfect aesthetics for a water ballet show.”
Events like these made the pool a special gathering and recreational space, which has been a missing piece of many ISU student’s college experiences since its closing. Additionally, the Pocatello community has missed the pool as much as the campus itself.
Gilbert explained, “They would do swim meets that were full-fledged: front, back, breast, butter, all the events. Often we’d be using ISU to help judge races for city teams that would come in. At times, I got to be on that side of it running the meet. I got to help teach swimming to lots of little kids in that pool, so it not only provided a job for me lifeguarding and helping me get through school, it was just an outlet.”
Even if you’re not an avid swimmer, Gilbert explained the beauty of the pool’s options. She remembered recreationally swimming laps just to stay in shape, along with many other students finding a new physical activity they enjoyed in the pool.
Reed’s Gym Pool can fill a gap for some students who may not enjoy other recreational activities. It also expands ISU’s ability to draw students to come to events.
Gilbert said, “Maybe students don’t like going to the football or basketball games, but they would love to come watch a swim meet.” The upper deck in the pool room at the gym provides grandstand seating for viewers to watch the swimmers and performers, just like it did when Gilbert was an ISU student.
Having this option for students also opens doors for intramural leagues like different swimming races and synchronized swimming.
The photos alongside this story show the true nature of the pool and the reason it’s so crucial to alumni to reopen it today. Students now don’t know an ISU campus with a pool, but those who were here in its prime know how special it can be.
Reed’s Gym Pool has been a gathering place full of competition, recreation, and hours of enjoyment for many decades. Now, the pool reopens with the hopes of bringing back some of the events and opportunities from years past. Alumni like Gilbert are thrilled to see the pool with water in it again and will continue returning to the ISU campus and Reed’s Gym to enjoy the thrill and nostalgia of the pool once again.
