This summer, the district purchased a new LED scoreboard for the school’s range of aquatic sports. Girls varsity swim coach Greg Ely and boys water polo coach Johnny Bega worked with the district to obtain the scoreboard so it could correspond with Mountain View High School’s new swimming facilities.

Including installation costs, the grand total for the Colorado Timings scoreboard came to $24,000. As an auxiliary tool, the school also acquired a set of four wireless pace clocks. These rang in at $1,800 apiece.

“The pace clocks and scoreboard will be very beneficial to swim practice later on in the spring,” Ely said.

The digital scoreboard has greater aesthetic appeal and functionality than the former flip scoreboard. Game scores can now be reported with greater efficiency and clarity due to the automated display changes. Whereas the flipping numbers of the old scoreboard would often jam up, this one broadcasts a reliable score. Furthermore, a school logo is now boldly printed above the LED surface.

“Basically, for the fans, whether it’s the horn, or if it’s the lights up there, everything just looks a lot better,” Bega said. “You can see it better.”

The water polo teams have worked with the board not only on game days, but also during practices. They held a desk training for parents, featuring the upgrade.

“It gives us a newfound sense of confidence,” varsity player junior Surya Ram said. “We practice a lot now with the shot clock. It makes us more aware of the timing on a play. Practice feels much more like a game now.”

Along with being valuable during the school year, the LED scoreboard proved to be an asset during the summertime. During the first two weeks of August, the scoreboard worked flawlessly for both girls and boys water polo teams during the Junior Olympics. Thanks to the smooth-sailing scoreboard, a minor lane-line malfunction was the only issue at the event.

“Our scoreboard looks beautiful. When you’re out there, you think, ‘Now that is cool,’” Ely said.