George Mitchell initiated the development of The Woodlands Athletic Center as a recreational facility to attract new residents to the area more than three decades ago. The WAC, as it was known, was located in the Village of Grogan's Mill and was a membership-based facility that offered tennis, youth activities, swimming and diving to residents of The Woodlands.

However, Mitchell built more than a typical recreational center. The athletic center featured Olympic-sized swimming pools and diving facilities which attracted national and international aquatic competitions.

The facility featured a 25-meter indoor swimming pool, a 50-meter outdoor pool and a diving tank with three platforms—at 5 meters, 7 meters and 10 meters, all regulation Olympic-style and international competition distances.

"People would come from all over the world for this facility, competing and practicing outdoor among the birds and trees," Woodlands area diving coach Kenny Armstrong said. "It was phenomenal. It was a great vision."

Armstrong said swimming competitions are very popular and are typically the first sports to sell out at the Olympics, and The Woodlands Athletic Center attracted many to the area for competitions during the years it was open.

"George Mitchell understood that," Armstrong said. "An international facility is very high profile. It's a mixture of community service and business."

Olympic diving gold medal winner and Woodlands resident Laura Wilkinson trained there, along with members of the U.S. Olympic swimming and diving teams throughout the years

Armstrong first saw the facility while he was an Olympic diving coach for the Canadian team in 1982.

"I brought my team for a world championship event there," he said. "It was the first time I ever saw The Woodlands. And I said, 'One day I'm going to try to train at that facility.' It was the most amazing facility I'd ever seen in the world."

Armstrong, who trained his team at the WAC, took divers to the 2000 Olympics, where Wilkinson won the gold. He also took athletes from his Woodlands team to the Olympics in 2004, 2008 and 2012.

The facility also housed countless youth competitions, birthday parties and events.

The facility was sold by The Woodlands Development Company and torn down four years ago to make way for new development. Today, the former site of the WAC is home to an apartment complex.

The Diving Academy must travel to Texas A&M to use the diving platforms there. Those or the diving platforms at University of Houston are now the closest to the area.

"We have no other option now," Armstrong said. "George Mitchell had the vision. He had the understanding of how important it is to help kids and give them an avenue to do these activities. It's a community service type thing. Kids need that."