The USA Swimming National Championships wrapped up competition on July 1. I think the next National Championships should be in Indy. Here are three reasons why: Indiana is the crossroads of the United States, the Natatorium looks more mature than in 2013, and Indy has everything to offer.
CROSSROADS OF THE UNITED STATES
With Indiana considered the crossroads of America, other states need to use their valuable resources. For example, according to AgFactSheet, Indiana is in the top 5 of commodities sold in 2012. These commodities include corn, soybeans, hogs & pigs, poultry & eggs, and dairy. Only four other states rank higher than Indiana. Besides food, Indiana is considered the crossroad of America.
Indiana is the crossroads of the United States, which is this state’s motto. This means all of the major interstate highways crisscross this state. Being in the middle of America is a plus because they get to host events in their state. Having to host major events, facilities and other arenas have to be up-to-date.
NATATORIUM LOOKS MORE MATURE
Since hosting the USA Swimming National Championships in 2013, the IUPUI Natatorium has changed. The Natatorium was under construction for 21 months, which started in September 2014. This renovation cost 21 million dollars. And many parts of the Natatorium were renovated.
The first part that was renovated was the rectangular tiles on the pool deck. The tiles were replaced with much smaller tiles. Another visible part was the seats in the gallery. The seats use to be blue but are now black. The wheelchair area had blue bars, which were replaced with glass along the wheelchair area. Having the glass and not the blue bars meant that wheelchaired people can see the entire competition pool. With some of these renovated parts, the Natatorium can host some high caliber events.
As mentioned before, the Natatorium hosted the USA Swimming National Championships last week. Besides this event, the Natatorium was a stop for USA Swimming Arena Pro Swim Series in March. Also in March, the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Championships. In May, there was the NCAA Division I Women’s Water Polo Championships and USA Diving World Championships Trials. With all these events, the city has become a hotspot for hotels and other activities.
INDY HAS OTHER ACTIVITES TO OFFER
Besides the IUPUI Natatorium having swimming and diving events, the city of Indianapolis has other events to offer. Right across from the Natatorium is Victory Field, where the minor league team the Indianapolis Indians play their home games. Also in downtown Indianapolis is the NCAA Hall of Champions.
Not interested in athletics? Then, Indianapolis has parks and restaurants to offer too. For hotels, Indianapolis has many hotels to offer.
The USA Swimming National Championships should stay in Indianapolis for next year, because of all of it has to offer. The IUPUI Natatorium has been renovated to look more presentable and able to have more events. The city of Indianapolis has many other items to offer to, including Victory Field and the NCAA Hall of Champions. The IUPUI Natatorium and the city of Indianapolis is a great combination to host the National Championships again.
Patrick Murphy 