From Mud Hole to Award-Winning Aquatic Park

Verona, WI – Commercial Recreation Specialists (CRS) is again a proud recipient of the Wisconsin Parks and Recreation Association (WPRA) Outstanding Aquatics Facility Design Award. Together with the City of Stoughton Parks & Recreation Department, CRS’ team of aquatic play specialists won the 2012 award for helping to transform the city’s 52-year-old natural swimming pond into an award-winning water-based family entertainment center.

“Stoughton’s new aquatic facility is the best of the best,” says Steve Thompson, CEO of WPRA. The association’s 2,400 members represent the parks, recreation and therapeutic recreation industries throughout Wisconsin.

Two years ago, Stoughton’s swimming pond, then named Mandt Park Pool, was a declining “mud hole,” as area locals affectionately called it. Competition from large regional water parks left little interest for what was once the community’s prized aquatic recreation facility. But last year, CRS helped change all that.

In 2012, Stoughton brought in CRS to help them renovate the area and develop a Water-Based Family Entertainment Center, complete with themed site amenities and coordinating signage compatible with its new name, “Troll Beach.” With the addition of a commercial shade structure and aquatic inflatables including the 16’ Aquaglide Summit Express, Free Fall 6, the Wibit Slider and AquaTrack, the community’s enthusiasm for the pond exploded. According to Troll Beach’s data, its attendance doubled from the year before and its revenue increased by 400 percent.

“Stoughton’s Troll Beach is a great example of how inflatable modules can immediately and actively revitalize a community’s water-based recreation,” says CRS President Ron Romens. “We’re excited to win the WPRA Outstanding Aquatic Facility award with Stoughton. It is an honor being involved with an award winning facility once again.”