With twice the prize money as last season on the line, many of the world’s best swimmers will face top-flight competition on United States soil in USA Swimming’s 2014-15 Arena Grand Prix Series.
As part of USA Swimming’s partnership with swimwear leader Arena, the six-event Arena Grand Prix Series will feature $300,000 in overall prize money. Swimmers may earn awards for top-three finishes in all individual Olympic events across the series. At each meet, $1,000 will be provided for a first-place finish, $600 for second and $200 for third. In addition to the single-event prize money, the overall male and female winners of the season-long Series will earn a $10,000 bonus.
The six events comprising the 2014-15 Arena Grand Prix Series include:
· Nov. 20-22, 2014: Arena Grand Prix at Minneapolis
· Jan. 15-17, 2015: Arena Grand Prix at Austin
· Feb. 12-14, 2015: Arena Grand Prix at Orlando
· April 15-18, 2015: Arena Grand Prix at Mesa
· May 14-17, 2015: Arena Grand Prix at Charlotte
· June 18-21, 2015: Arena Grand Prix at Santa Clara
For the second consecutive season, USA Swimming partner BMW will award the grand prize of a one-year lease of a BMW vehicle to the highest-scoring eligible male and female U.S. swimmers. Olympic medalists Conor Dwyer (Winnetka, Ill.) and Caitlin Leverenz (Tucson, Ariz.) won a one-year BMW lease for topping the rankings a year ago.
As it did throughout the 2013-14 Arena Grand Prix Series, the Universal Sports Network will air more than 15 hours of exclusive LIVE coverage of the series this season. Complete broadcast details will be posted when available at usaswimming.org and universalsports.com.
“Continuing to develop a series in America with elite-level competition is critical as we build toward the 2016 Olympic Games,” said Frank Busch, USA Swimming’s National Team Director. “Our role at USA Swimming is to provide high-performance opportunities for our athletes and bring the sport even closer to those who may not have experienced it and also to our biggest supporters. The Arena Grand Prix Series helps to accomplish these goals.”
In its third season as the title sponsor, Arena will provide a unique fan-focused autograph zone, offering fans, and especially kids, the chance to meet their heroes at every event. At three events, Arena will give 24 local swimmers, aged 8-12, the chance to compete in the Grand Prix pool during the meet.
Tim McCool, head of Arena USA.
“Arena is proud to bring top American talent to six cities across the nation as the fandom and excitement builds up in advance of 2016,” said Tim McCool, Vice President and General Manager for Arena North America. “Along with promoting the sport of swimming, we remain committed to supporting all U.S. athletes as they prepare to represent our nation in less than two years.”
Male and female overall Arena Grand Prix Series champions will be honored at the conclusion of the 2014-15 series based on the number of points accumulated throughout the six meets. Participants will be awarded points in each individual Olympic event throughout the duration of the Series (Five points for first, three for second, one point for third place). Dwyer and Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu won the 2013-14 overall series titles.
In addition to the broadcast coverage on the Universal Sports Network, USA Swimming will webcast prelims and finals from each meet on usaswimming.org. For more information on the Arena Grand Prix Series, visit usaswimming.org/grandprix. A leaderboard for the Series will be available online and in “Splash Magazine,” the official magazine of USA Swimming.
Visit usaswimming.org for complete rules for the 2014-15 Arena Grand Prix Series.
Arena
Arena is the authentic waterwear brand for athletes and real sport lovers. Wherever there is sport in the water, there is Arena. For over 40 years Arena has equipped the world’s leading swimmers and lovers of watersports with racing, training, and leisure swimwear and accessories built on a foundation of in-depth research, technical know-how, and an unyielding commitment to quality. With U.S. headquarters in Portland, Ore., Arena is the exclusive outfitter of the U.S. National Team, and a proud partner of USA Swimming. www.arenausa.com.
USA Swimming: As the National Governing Body for the sport of swimming in the United States, USA Swimming is a 400,000-member service organization that promotes the culture of swimming by creating opportunities for swimmers and coaches of all backgrounds to participate and advance in the sport through clubs, events and education. Our membership is comprised of swimmers from the age group level to the Olympic Team, as well as coaches and volunteers. USA Swimming is responsible for selecting and training teams for international competition including the Olympic Games, and strives to serve the sport through its core objectives: Build the base, Promote the sport, Achieve competitive success. For more information, visit www.usaswimming.org.
Arena USA is a SwimSwam partner.