U.S. Open swim meet to be held at Boilermaker Aquatic Center
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Some of the nation's top swimmers will come to the Purdue University campus on Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 for the 2006 U.S. Open.
The U.S. Open is one of three domestic meets that USA Swimming sanctions each year. The meet will take place in the Boilermaker Aquatic Center, and swimmers will compete at the 50-meter, or Olympic, distance.
"Because of the structure of the meet, the competing swimmers could range from up-and-coming young teenagers to seasoned Olympians," said David Fraseur, director of the Boilermaker Aquatic Center. "Purdue swimmers who qualify for the meet will have the opportunity to compete with some of the best swimmers in the world. There very well could be some records broken during the course of the competition."
The U.S. Open will be split into six sessions. Each day preliminaries will start at 9:30 a.m. and finals will begin at 6 p.m.
All-session passes are on sale for $25 for adults and $15 for students and children by calling the Purdue Athletic Ticket Office at (765) 494-3194 or (800) 497-7678.
Individual session tickets will be available at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center on the day of the event. Tickets for preliminaries are $4 for adults and $3 for students and children. Finals tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students and children.
Approximately 900 seats will be available for spectators in the Boilermaker Aquatic Center, but an additional 1,200 people, including coaches, staff and swimmers are expected to attend, said Howard Taylor, director of the Recreational Sports Center.
"This is one of the top events each year for USA Swimming, and it's a huge statement about Purdue's facilities that they've decided to hold the meet here at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center," Taylor said. "The influx of the swimmers, coaches and fans will give a significant boost to the area's economy, both on and off campus."
Housed in Purdue's Recreational Sports Center, 355 N. Intramural Drive, the Boilermaker Aquatic Center is home to the men's and women's swimming and diving programs. It also provides a home for all recreational and educational swimming programs on campus.
The aquatic center was dedicated in 2001 and houses a 50-meter pool that has been the site of the 2005 Women's NCAA Championships, 2004 Men's Big Ten Championships and the 2003 Women's Big Ten Championships.
As the national governing body for competitive swimming in the United States, USA Swimming formulates the rules, implements policies and procedures, conducts national championships, circulates safety and sports medicine information, and selects athletes to represent the United States in international competitions. USA Swimming has more than 300,000 members nationwide and sanctions more than 7,000 events each year.
Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu
Sources: David Fraseur, (765) 496-1346, fraseur@purdue.edu
Howard Taylor, (765) 494-3114, hhtaylor@purdue.edu
Chip Neuenschwander, Division of Recreational Sports marketing coordinator, (765) 494-3124, rneuensc@purdue.edu
Sara Hunninghake, USA Swimming media coordinator, (719) 866-3588, shunninghake@usaswimming.org
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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