Summer Splash Tour comes to Bloomington

Visitors to the Student Recreational Sports Center this weekend will have a chance to watch some fast-paced swimming and possibly win a trip to the Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando, Fla.\nThe first event, the USA Swimming Speedo Champion Series, began yesterday and will continue until Sunday. The five-day meet features over 500 of the best swimmers from Indiana, Arkansas, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and North Dakota. They will compete for a chance to make it into the USA Swimming Nationals competition. \nThe USA Swimming organization includes a multitude of events with competitors representing many different age groups and skill levels.\n"Our main competitors range from good high school athletes to young college athletes, a couple of good 13-year-olds to people in their late 30s," USA Swimming National Events Director Dean Ekeren said. "They just have to meet a specific qualifying time to compete."\nAlthough there will be a wide range of swimmers at the event, the level of competition will be quite high.\n"It's a higher level of competition; some are qualifiers for senior nationals, some are coming up from other ranks and it is the first event they will be competing in at this level," IU Recreational Sports Aquatics employee Annie Eakin said. "It's a higher level of competition. We have about 550 athletes, and we expect to see a high level of swimming." \nThe Champion Series also brings more than just a swimming competition to the Bloomington area, as it is expected to bring about $683,000 in revenue to area restaurants, hotels and retail establishments. \nCoinciding with the USA Swimming event is the Summer Splash Tour, which will take place from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday in the lobby of the SRSC. The Summer Splash Tour consists of interactive games and activities that are meant to bring attention to swimming activities. This year's Summer Splash Tour also features five athletes who will star in the Nickelodeon Splash TV series. \n"(The Summer Splash Tour's) a van that's going around to water-related events around the country; they've already visited 60-70 events since early June," Programs and Services Director for USA Swimming Tom Avischious said. "They're stopping at water parks, swim meets and beaches and trying to promote swimming to people around the country."\nVisitors at this Saturday's Summer Splash Tour stop will also be able to spin a prize wheel for instant prizes and will be given the chance to enter into a sweepstakes contest for a Speedo underwater camera and a Grand Prize trip for four to the Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando.\nWith the Summer Splash Tour and the USA Swimming Speedo Competition all in one area, organizers are sure that this weekend is going to be exciting.\n"It will be exciting; there's going to be a lot of fast swimming," Avischious said. "For a lot of the swimmers, it's their last chance to make the cut into nationals, so there should be some great competition."\nThe SRSC is also seeking volunteers for the event. For more information, contact Grant Karsas at 855-1321 or gkarsas@indiana.edu.