Ok, where to begin? I have spent entirely too much time at the Donald B. Canham Natatorium over the past year. That includes all of Michigan’s home meets from the 2005-06 season, the Eric Namesnik Grand Prix (2007 & 2006), and the 2006-07 Michigan season opener. This madness must stop!

Canham, which I affectionately call “The Dungeon”, is far from my favorite facility to cover meets. I absolutely hate that the walkways are in the front of the spectator seating. If I had a quarter for every time a head or body walking by ruined my shot, it could probably have paid for the gas to drive up there. Things don’t get better once you’ve been granted media credentials & deck access either. Trust me. With the bleachers out, there is like no space to walk around the deck - amongst the athletes themselves - in order to get your prized shot. An extra 3-4 feet on each side would work wonders. (E.g. Mizzou’s pool). Another peeve of mine is that if you sit in some places of the back row, the scoreboard is not visible at all. And don’t get me started on the “rape hallway” below the stands…

At the end of the day, some of the sport’s most dominant and successful athletes train there day in and day out. So Canham, flaws and all, deserves my respect. If it’s good enough for the mighty Wolverines, I guess it’s all right in my book. Just don’t expect me to request that more meets take place there. After all it’s no McCorkle.

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