One of The University of Arizona’s newest athletic facilities, the Kasser Family Pool, is now home to the UA men’s and women’s swim and dive teams.

The world-class structure, designed for swim and diving meets, also is laid out for water polo. It features a 33-meter by 25-meter diving well with two 1-meter and three 3-meter springboards, and has platform heights of three, five, 7.5 and 10 meters.

Hungarian Polo Team Inspires

The pool was made possible in part by a $1 million gift from Mike and Beth Kasser, who have been generous UA supporters since moving to Tucson in 1994.

Mike Kasser is president of Holualoa Companies, a real estate investment company with interests in commercial and multi-family real estate in the United States and Europe. Both he and Beth are avid athletes who have participated in ultramarathons and multiple Ironman Triathlons.

Hungarian-born Mike Kasser was inspired to support the new facility in honor of his family. He said his late father, Alexander, a former Hungarian semi-professional soccer player and boxer, was fond of water polo, a sport in which Hungarians have excelled.

“The Hungarians won many Olympic medals in the past, including a gold medal in 2008,” Kasser said. “Dad dreamt of organizing a water polo team one day.”

Honoring a Vision

Although Kasser’s father’s dream was not fulfilled in his lifetime, Mike and Beth Kasser paid it homage through the Kasser Family Pool. The structure was dedicated on Dec 8.

“My parents believed in the Latin motto, ‘mens sana in corpore sano’ – a sound mind in a sound body. Our contribution of the pool is another way in which we honor their vision,” Kasser said. “And, of course, we love the UA, where our son will be a freshman in the fall. It’s a wonderful learning institution and cultural center, and one of the main economic engines of Tucson. It uplifts the whole town.”

Kasser last visited the pool on Feb. 14 for the Arizona men’s and women’s swim and dive teams’ matches against Arizona State University.

“Whenever I’m invited, I’m there with bells on,” he said. “Next time, I’m going to bring my bathing suit.”