Pictured are the new starting blocks at the Warren YMCA.

For decades, swimmers in Warren have launched themselves into the pool from the same starting blocks. These blocks are believed to date back to the late 80s or early 90s and were installed around the time that the Warren County YMCA opened.

Now, those long-standing fixtures have been replaced, marking a milestone not just in equipment upgrades, but in the long, multigenerational history of swimming in the community.

The new starting blocks, funded entirely through local business and community sponsorships, will be used primarily by the Warren YMCA Swim Team and the Warren Area High School Swim Team. They will also serve a role in swim lessons, helping young swimmers progress safely from jumping into the deep end to eventually using the diving board.

“There are people who, as kids, swam on those old blocks, and now those kids are adults bringing their own children to the pool,” said the YMCA’s aquatic director Dani Mumford. “Now those children are getting brand-new equipment. That really shows how long the history of swimming has been here in Warren.”

Swimming has been part of Warren’s youth sports culture since at least the 1960s and 1970s, beginning with the original YMCA and continuing when the organization moved into its current facility. Since then, generations of swimmers have passed through the program, many staying involved well into adulthood.

The Warren YMCA Swim Team typically serves 40 to 60 swimmers per season. The high school team averages another 20 to 30 athletes annually. Combined with visiting teams for home meets, swim lessons, and special events, the starting blocks are used by well over 100 swimmers each year.

Replacing the blocks would have cost an estimated $30,000 to $40,000, including equipment and related maintenance work. Thanks to sponsorships, the YMCA did not have to pay out of pocket for the project.

Sponsors included the Community Foundation of Warren County, Worley-DrinkWorks, Superior Tire & Rubber Corp., Calvert Pearson Insurance Group, NAPA Auto Parts, and the Richard T. Betts Family Foundation. Each organization sponsored one of the six new blocks.

“Without the businesses stepping up, these blocks simply wouldn’t exist right now,” Mumford said. “Their support ensures our kids, and future generations, have safe, usable equipment.”

Because the original blocks were built so long ago, replacing them was not as simple as ordering standard models. The existing pool deck, gutters, and bolt placements required the new blocks to be specially engineered to fit the old foundations.

YMCA staff spent months working with manufacturers and maintenance teams, beginning in May 2025, measuring and planning to avoid a costly reconstruction of the pool deck.

While the planning process took months, the actual installation took just one day.

The Warren YMCA is the only indoor swimming pool in the county and plays a crucial role in the community, offering water safety skills, physical activity and competitive training.

“For a lot of kids, the pool is their safe place,” Mumford said. “It’s where they can release energy, stress, or emotion, and know they’re supported.