With all this talk about shuttles and reasonably priced hotels, I see a great revenue opportunity here for USMS and IUPUI. Looking at Google earth, there is a big grassy field right next to the pool and then a nice track and soccer stadium. The weather should be nice enough that we could set up a little "Swimmers Occupy IUPUI" with tents and tailgates. :
Cordon off the field and the stadium into 10' x 10' (or luxury 20' x 20') squares
Sell weekend 'camping' access for a reasonable fee (e.g., I typically spend $5 to $20 per night at campgrounds in AZ)
Throw a few port-a-potties out there, but keep the natatorium open throughout the night for access to bathrooms
Heavily promote the gold medal sponsorship to all tenters as a way to keep their costs down
Go even bigger by taking the Mesa Nationals idea of buying shade and sell fully-setup tent sites (e.g., tent, cot, sleeping bad, pillow) for an incremental fee (but still less than a hotel room)
Think of the benefits:
USMS / IUPUI = a little more dough in their pockets / whoever makes money off these events
Swimmers =
Intense camaraderie
No need to worry about shuttles or rental cars
Extra sleep thanks to no commuting
Save $$
With all this talk about shuttles and reasonably priced hotels, I see a great revenue opportunity here for USMS and IUPUI. Looking at Google earth, there is a big grassy field right next to the pool and then a nice track and soccer stadium. The weather should be nice enough that we could set up a little "Swimmers Occupy IUPUI" with tents and tailgates. :
Cordon off the field and the stadium into 10' x 10' (or luxury 20' x 20') squares
Sell weekend 'camping' access for a reasonable fee (e.g., I typically spend $5 to $20 per night at campgrounds in AZ)
Throw a few port-a-potties out there, but keep the natatorium open throughout the night for access to bathrooms
Heavily promote the gold medal sponsorship to all tenters as a way to keep their costs down
Go even bigger by taking the Mesa Nationals idea of buying shade and sell fully-setup tent sites (e.g., tent, cot, sleeping bad, pillow) for an incremental fee (but still less than a hotel room)
Think of the benefits:
USMS / IUPUI = a little more dough in their pockets / whoever makes money off these events
Swimmers =
Intense camaraderie
No need to worry about shuttles or rental cars
Extra sleep thanks to no commuting
Save $$
