Lawrence Aquahawks

The Aquahawk program operates year round and also offers a summer swim team program. The program takes two breaks throughout the year, one in August and one in March. Swim practices are held at the Lawrence Outdoor Aquatic Center (Summer only), Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center, Alvamar Country Club (Summer only), and Lawrence Country Club (Summer onl... y). Practice times and locations are established each swim season and are subject to change given pool availability. Practice schedules can be located on the team's website under the tab "calendar". Before the founding of the Aquahawks in 1968, Lawrence had four small private club swim teams, each with their own coach. The teams scheduled dual meets throughout the summer and the season concluded with the Douglas County Age Group Swimming and Diving Championships, which were held at Holiday Park Pool. In the summer of 1968, the parents and swimmers of these teams combined to form the Lawrence Swim Club, the original name of the Aquahawks. One of the first tasks for the new club was to become actively involved in the campaign to support a bond issue for a new municipal pool. The passage of the bond issue provided a facility where the entire team could train together. When the new municipal pool opened for the 1969 season, it was quickly hailed as the premier facility in the Missouri Valley LSC. Bill Barnes served as the first coach for the new club and was assisted by Bob Hines and Bob Russell, two KU swimmers. Bill's son, Brent, is credited with inventing the club mascot, the Aquahawk, while Bill's wife, Jo Barnes, was the first to put green and yellow trunks on the waterborne Jayhawks. By 1973, the team was well established with approximately 100 registered swimmers. In 1977, Gary Kempf took over as head coach of the program. Under Gary's leadership, the team began to expand beyond a summer program by swimming at the KU pool during semester breaks and in the late spring. By the late 1970's, the lack of an indoor pool in Lawrence was a serious constraint on the ...Read More