By: Gabby Zhou
Introductions First
The Summer Olympic Games are open! YAY!!! Everyone’s excited… Right? You may have already read the title of this article and wondered: “WHAT!” Yes, the US Swimming Olympic Trials are taking place in an NFL stadium. Eric Neuburger is the stadium director at Lucas Oil Stadium. He said an Italian pool company, Myrtha Pools, made the pool. “It’s actually three meters above the concrete that sits underneath the normal NFL field,” Neuburger said. …” (WishTV, 2024)
The Origin of the Idea
This pool would not have been possible without Shana Ferguson’s ideas. “Three years ago, Shana Ferguson stood on the pool deck in Omaha, Neb., at the U.S. Olympic Trials… But she dared to dream bigger.” (The New York Times [The Athletic], 2024) But what could she do? Ferguson wondered aloud: “What would this look like in a football stadium?” So, the idea began.
The Trials
The U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials will run from June 15-23 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, making it the first time the Olympic trial meet will be held in a football stadium. “Event organizers hope to see a crowd close to 30,000 for the first night of finals,” (The New York Times [The Athletic], 2024) shattering the previous world record. This event will be the biggest spectacle ever. Fans all over the US are coming to see it. According to the PFT, 2024 “The first day of the event set an all-time attendance record, with 20,689 present. It was “easily” the biggest crowd ever to witness the swimming trials.”
Climate and When to View
Neuburger also says “the water in the pool will not be wasted either. “It will be dechlorinated and put back in the storm water, and back into the White River at the end.” (WishTV, 2024) An Olympian qualifies each day of the trials. So, no matter what day you go, you will have a chance to see someone qualify for the swimming Olympics. This really must be the biggest spectacle of the century. Today is June 19, meaning the trials are almost already halfway done. But who knows if we’re ever going to see another US Olympic Trial taking place in an NFL stadium, so go now before it’s too late!