The Pool

Our Masters program first operated at the University of Houston while Coach Hines was a facility director there during the '80s. Early in the 90s H2O moved to the UT-Houston Rec Center and operated there for years, but it burned down a few years back. So we moved to the Lamar High School Natatorium in the River Oaks area where we train to this day.

Pool: An indoor competition 25 yard, 8-lane pool with starting blocks at the deep end, buffer zone between outside lanes and the walls, wave-eating gutter system and an extra lane (affectionately referred to as "the moat") used for side-line instruction and drills. This pool is kept consistently in the 80-83 range (when the sometimes cantankerous heater is fully operational) through most of the year, though it can get a bit warmer in the summer months.

Locker Rooms: Nuthin' to brag about but they are functional (likely not much different than the lockerrooms you experienced in your high school). Plenty of showers and hot water. No hair driers provided. Bring your own soap, shampoo, towel and lock (locks left overnight are subject to being cut off). Stocking of toilet paper is sometimes spotty. Lockerrooms are also available to students during our workouts so please do not leave tempting/valuable items accessible.

Directions: Lamar High School is located at 3325 Westheimer (Key map: 492T, Mapquest: http://tinyurl.com/7ygyq). Take 59 South from I45 (or North from South Loop 610) to the Buffalo Speedway exit. Turn north on Buffalo SPDWY. Take Buffalo SPDWY to W. Alabama. Turn right on W. Alabama. About a block down, look to the left for the Lamar Redskins Baseball field (big sign) - there is a parking lot gate just before the field. Turn left into the parking lot and park close to the first building. There is also an entrance to the other end of this parking lot on Westheimer.

Parking: We generally park in the main student parking lot which begins to fill at roughly 7:30 on weekday mornings. Personally, I can't think of a more dangerous place in the world to walk or drive than a crowded traffic pattern populated by pimply faced hormone factories fortified by Pop-Tarts and Jolt Cola, all operating heavy equipment with an eye toward impressing onlookers with their speed and rebelliousness. I'm glad I drive an old beater pick-up truck. Also, though rare, there have been a couple breakins over the years during the dark hours so it is always a wise idea to keep valuable items (and things that look like they might contain valuable items) out of sight. In the event that the gates at both ends of the main parking lot running along the west side of campus are locked, we park on Eastside (which borders the...um...east side of the campus). Park on the street and DO observe all posted restrictions and DO NOT park in the circle or in any numbered parking places or handicapped spaces or in any of the administration lots on the east side of campus — you’ll be towed without warning or mercy (or worse, you'll get parked in by the "owner" of the space and he won't be available to move his car till 5th period or so).

Download a PDF file showing Lamar campus entrance and parking detail here.

The Lamar natatorium is sitting on the edge of the baseball field. The entrance we use is on the North side of the building (facing away from the baseball field - the only one with a wheelchair ramp). We open the door about five minutes before the scheduled practice time and start the first organized activity five minutes after the scheduled practice time. Coach syncs his watch to KUHF 88FM.