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In two weeks, hundreds of youth swimmers and their families — would have visited Ashland for the weekend-long Shakespeare Invitational — swim meet, hosted by Superior Aquatics of Medford. All together, approximately — 3,000 people would have spent three days and thousands of dollars in the — city, had the Southern Oregon University pool been serviced in time for — the mid-October event. — But the pool is closed, and will stay that way until at — least Nov. 1. — "This is the biggest and most popular swim meet from Redding — to Portland," Superior Aquatics coach Suha Tokman said. "We canceled our — meet in mid-August." The cancellation will also affect area hotels, restaurants — and shops because the meet comes at a crucial time, just following the — close of the outdoor theater season. — "We drop about $20,000 into the Ashland community," Tokman — explained, noting the Superior program itself only boasts about 100 athletes. — The other 900-plus meet entrants would be staying in town from Oct. 14 — or 15 through Oct. 17. — The meet, always held at the SOU pool, draws too many — competitors to find accommodations in any other facility in the Rogue — Valley. Although Superior Aquatics had experienced difficulties with university — scheduling and requirements in years past, the situation has never reached — such an extreme. The entire meet had to be axed when university officials — announced the sanitation problems the pool had experienced would not be — corrected until the beginning of November. — "There's nothing going on with that pool," Tokman said. — "If it were your pool, you could have made your decision first and then — closed the pool. But it's just sitting there." — University officials reported the repair process would — begin early in October, following three to four weeks of consultation — and discussion of possible solutions. — "We'd rather allow a little bit of time to ensure the — new system is installed properly," SOU Vice President Ron Bolstad said. — "We certainly regret the inconvenience, not only to our students and staff, — but to the high school teams and community groups." — Beyond the embarrassment of canceling a large-scale competition — just weeks before the event - advertising and registration for the Shakespeare — Invitational kicks off seven to eight months prior to the meet - Superior — Aquatics saw its sole fundraiser of the year go down the drain. — "The school absolutely had no plans, knew nothing about — what to do and they closed the pool," Tokman said. "It's still sitting — there. It's our only single fundraiser," Tokman said, explaining the $3,000 — profit the team usually nets funds everything from a scholarship fund — and subsidized club participation fees to team T-shirts and an awards — banquet. "We have absolutely no fundraiser at all this year." — Superior Aquatics may put on a smaller-scale event in — March, though the meet would involve approximately half of what the estimated — Shakespeare Invitational attendance was. — Floundering programs — While the Shakespeare Invitational cancellation will have — the largest financial consequences for the Ashland community, several — other groups have been displaced and disappointed by the pool closure. — The Rogue Valley Masters swimmers, a group of 30 to 35 — experienced adult swimmers have held daily practices at the university — facility for two decades. — "This college closure has really thrown a wrench into — our program," outgoing club president Craig Mather said. "They close it — every year [in the middle of August], but it's never been closed this — long." — Even though Ashland has no lack of swimming pools - with — the SOU pool, the YMCA facility, Jackson Wellsprings and the Daniel Meyer — pool - the university facility is best-suited for the needs of the Rogue — Masters because of its temperature and scheduling options. The majority — of the Rogue Masters swimmers are 40 and older, and, for many, the only — form of exercise they have access to is swimming, due to the low-impact — nature of the activity. — Currently, the Rogue Masters descend on the Meyer pool — from 5:15 to 6:30 a.m. three days a week. The facility has already closed — for the season and is not heated, but the parks department has agreed — to allow the swimmers access during that time slot. "The city has been — fantastic to let us use it," Mather said. "But at some point the water — may be too cold. I don't know what we're going to do." — The swimmers show up in the pitch black and swim until — dawn, many wearing wet suits to protect themselves from the sub-70-degree — waters. — "It's cold and it's dark, but we just want to swim," Mather — said. "We'll go on as long as we can, but there's not a lot of other options — for us." — The lack of a facility has not touched the Rogue Masters — swim meets, though it did play into the club's decision to not host any — events this fall. "It's affected a huge number of people," Mather said. — "Our little masters group is just one." — The pool closure has also put out the 20-25 community — members and 15-20 students who purchase pool passes for the lap swim times — at the SOU pool, as well as the water aerobics programs organized by the — Extended Campus Programs office at the university and the athletic programs — that take advantage of the pool for cross-training and rehabilitation. — The Ashland High water polo teams have altered their schedule — to work around the pool problems and the university has said the pool — will be functional by the start of the prep swim season, letting Ashland — and Phoenix high coaching staffs relax a bit.