As USA Swimming continues to whittle down the finalists for the Olympic Trials, Greensboro, North Carolina was the latest to be eliminated from the competition, the Greensboro Coliseum Complex announced today.
That leaves just three cities still in the hunt, with the decision to be announced on April 27th.
- San Antonio, Texas
- Omaha, Nebraska
- St. Louis, Missouri
Greensboro, North Carolina (eliminated)Indianapolis, Indiana (eliminated)Jacksonville, Florida (eliminated)
Greensboro was the largest “arena” style venue (though smaller than the football stadiums) in the running, but was also by far the smallest city among the final 6 bidders.
Of those remaining, now, the only basketball/hockey type arena that we’ve become used to for these events are the two-time defending hosts Omaha. San Antonio and St. Louis are both proposing the use of their football stadiums.
Mike Unger, the Assistant Executive Director of USA Swimming who has spearheaded this bidding process, said that USA Swimming is still committed to a long term relationship with Greensboro. The Greensboro Coliseum which was the proposed site of the Trials is in the same complex as a new multi-million dollar permanent venue that has already been named as the host for this December’s Winter National Championships.
“We thank Greensboro and North Carolina 2016 for their interest in hosting the Trials,” said Unger. “The organizers, volunteers, facilities, and overall support in Greensboro were outstanding. Even though we won’t be there for the Trials, we look forward to a long relationship with Greensboro as we will continue to host events there in the future, such as our AT&T Short Course National Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center this December.”
I’m really surprised that Orlando didn’t bid to host this. They have easy airport connections from anywhere in the country, plenty of hotel space and things to do before and after the meet, and a venue big enough to host the meet (the Amway Center).
Competitive swimming is on the rise in the United States, within our base of athletes, coaches, officials and families, and in the appreciation and understanding of those outside the swimming community! Michael Phelps definitely gave us a big boost, and our governing body has worked hard to raise our profile. As a result, folks who might not have paid attention a decade ago can now appreciate a number of our rising stars and the nature of our great sport. All that said, Omaha is probably still a good fit.
Is everybody (including U.S. Swimming officials) sure the trials are going to have the same appeal–and thus large seating requirement–in the post Phelps era? I have my doubts.
waterworld – to be honest, I think that having fewer athletes entered in the meet will have as much of an impact on attendance as not having Phelps. Aside from which, Lochte is growing to be just as much of a star as Phelps is, despite the complaints of some commenters. I get asked more in “real life” about Lochte than anyone else, including Phelps, these days. My dentist was even asking me about Ryan Lochte.
I don’t think Phelps is the last swimming mega-star we’ll ever see. I think we’re slowly, but surely, turning that corner to where there is always room for a main-stream star within our sport.
Water:
I think for a certain group of female swimmers, ages say 12-18, Missy Franklin may very well be as big of a star as Phelps. And she’ll be swimming at Trials in 2016. And she’ll attract a ton of girls — and their families — to the Trials.
I have not been to the trials anywhere except Omaha. I can not imagine an outdoor venue that could stage an event with the pageantry, light and sound show, and entertainment that was enjoyed by both the athletes and spectators. It also worked well for a televised event. The Omaha community really showed up, on all levels. There are no pro sports in Nebraska, and they seem to take it on and sort of own it. Our swimmers were treated like celebrities everywhere they went. We had a great experience and thought both the 2008 and 2012 trials, althought different from each other, had an exciting, patriot, and grand feeling. The venue was large enough, yet intimate.Our athletes seemed to… Read more »
It’s too bad the meet is in the summer, because I’d love to see them try and do it in a baseball stadium. Maybe somewhere with a retractable roof, so indoor or outdoor is an option, depending on the weather. That could be a lot of fun…
If the South would ever get over the Civil War, it might be a nice place to visit.
Or, as they call it, “the war of Northern aggression.”
🙁
Just keep it in Omaha. Why change what works?? No complaints and everything was good!
@freebee, we went to the trials and ended up staying just across the border in Iowa. It was less than twelve minutes to the venue and we were there for a week. The problem with rooms was also that the College World Series was the same time…and right next door. I’d like to go again and I can’t wait to see where it will be!! It was incredible and truly an amazing experience for my swimmer!