INDIANAPOLIS — On the floor of Lucas Oil Stadium — home of the Indianapolis Colts, Super Bowl XLVI, college football games, country music concerts and conventions — the best swimmers in America are splashing down this weekend in the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials.
Three giant pools and a deck have been constructed inside the stadium in the hopes of attracting a quarter million competition swimming fans and generating $100 million in economic impact over the next nine days.
The Trials have never been held in an NFL stadium before.
“I think it will be very weird,” Barry Gaines said of how different it will be to watch a competitive swimming event in a football stadium. “Very exciting to see, it's going to be something that we may never see again, so I’m excited about it.”
All along Georgia Street — from a faux Eiffel Tower erected at Capitol Avenue across from the entrance to the Indiana Convention Center and the fanfest inside to the French pastries tent and live music stage down toward Gainbridge Fieldhouse — Hoosiers and guests from out of state celebrated a rare national competition, by design, held only once every four years.
The event could, however, become a regular draw if Indianapolis can show the American Olympians that a football stadium can host their preliminary and finals races as the best battle to represent the USA on an international stage.
”It's amazing to see and have that 50-meter swim pool and everything it took to build it and make it work, so it was pretty amazing,” said Eric Julian, who swam competitively in high school in Evansville.
”We were hoping that this is so successful that they bring the next Olympic trials back here.”
”Both of us grew up as swimmers,” said Brian Bussey, who swam competitively in New Jersey, “and as a kid, I dreamed of being an Olympian. It didn’t happen, but you can always dream, and this is an event that only comes around once every four years. So, not only for it to come around, but in your hometown, you easily have access to go to, it's unbelievable.”
Sessions are divided into 11 a.m. prelims and 8 p.m. finals all week with separate tickets available.
”It's amazing," Julian said. “I can’t imagine getting down there and standing on the blocks, and imagine you’re in a football stadium. It’s a swim pool built specifically for this event. Amazing.”