U.S. Olympic Trial tickets on sale

Published Friday, September 21, 2007 Mini-ticket packages on sale for swimming BY RICHARD EGAN OMAHA WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER Ticket sales for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Swim Trials in Omaha are expected to get a boost with the release of mini-session packages. "We've just gone on sale with mini packages after quite a bit of feedback from people who were thinking we're sold out, and that's not the case," said Harold Cliff, the chief operating officer for the June 29-to-July 6 event at Qwest Center Omaha. Approximately 5,000 full-session packages have been sold, Cliff said. About 11,000 seats will be available for each session. Once installed, the temporary swimming pool will cover the first 10 rows usually used for Qwest Center events. "Until we released the mini-packages, the only tickets that were available were full-session," Cliff said. "Early sales have been really strong, and the full-session packages will still be available." There are three mini-packages available: • Sunday-Monday, four sessions (morning and night each day), $84 and $112 per seat. • Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday, six sessions, $126 and $168. • Friday-Saturday-Sunday, five sessions (no Sunday morning session), $105 and $140. Cliff didn't have any numbers on how the mini-packages were selling. "The intent," he said, "is to give local people who aren't into seeing that much swimming — eight days worth — a chance to come out and enjoy what's really going to be a great event." Cliff said single-session ticket sales are not planned. "We're hoping not to have to," he said. "We'll see how well the mini-session sales go, and then make that determination later on, much closer to the event." Cliff stressed that with preliminary heats beginning in the morning and the top eight swimmers in each day's event advancing to the finals at night, there is no "best day" to attend. "It makes a great Christmas present," Cliff said. "There's not a bad seat in the house." Cliff said he expects crowds to include far more out-of-towners than locals. "There will be at least 1,000 athletes," Cliff said. "We estimate that 3½ people will accompany each individual, including family and followers. There are 18,000 hotel rooms set aside for bookings, and that's a very large number of people for a city this size." The 2004 Olympic Trials in Long Beach, Calif., held in a parking lot near the Pacific Ocean with seating for 10,000 per session, sold a total of 110,000 tickets. The week will feature 26 events, but no relays. Generally the four fastest swimmers in a particular event will make up an Olympic relay team. Adding to the pressure facing participants, each country can enter only two swimmers per event in the Olympics. That means a third-place finish, which usually means a trip to the medals stand, won't cut it. Cliff said the sessions will be identical to the Olympic program, including the atmosphere. He declined to detail the plans. "That's a secret, but I can tell you: People will want to come back," he said. Cliff recently returned from a trip to the Myrtha pool manufacturing headquarters north of Milan, Italy. "We were checking out the newest technology for things like setting it up," he said, "and it was a good trip." ---

Published Friday, September 21, 2007 Mini-ticket packages on sale for swimming BY RICHARD EGAN OMAHA WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER Ticket sales for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Swim Trials in Omaha are expected to get a boost with the release of mini-session packages. "We've just gone on sale with mini packages after quite a bit of feedback from people who were thinking we're sold out, and that's not the case," said Harold Cliff, the chief operating officer for the June 29-to-July 6 event at Qwest Center Omaha. Approximately 5,000 full-session packages have been sold, Cliff said. About 11,000 seats will be available for each session. Once installed, the temporary swimming pool will cover the first 10 rows usually used for Qwest Center events. "Until we released the mini-packages, the only tickets that were available were full-session," Cliff said. "Early sales have been really strong, and the full-session packages will still be available." There are three mini-packages available: • Sunday-Monday, four sessions (morning and night each day), $84 and $112 per seat. • Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday, six sessions, $126 and $168. • Friday-Saturday-Sunday, five sessions (no Sunday morning session), $105 and $140. Cliff didn't have any numbers on how the mini-packages were selling. "The intent," he said, "is to give local people who aren't into seeing that much swimming — eight days worth — a chance to come out and enjoy what's really going to be a great event." Cliff said single-session ticket sales are not planned. "We're hoping not to have to," he said. "We'll see how well the mini-session sales go, and then make that determination later on, much closer to the event." Cliff stressed that with preliminary heats beginning in the morning and the top eight swimmers in each day's event advancing to the finals at night, there is no "best day" to attend. "It makes a great Christmas present," Cliff said. "There's not a bad seat in the house." Cliff said he expects crowds to include far more out-of-towners than locals. "There will be at least 1,000 athletes," Cliff said. "We estimate that 3½ people will accompany each individual, including family and followers. There are 18,000 hotel rooms set aside for bookings, and that's a very large number of people for a city this size." The 2004 Olympic Trials in Long Beach, Calif., held in a parking lot near the Pacific Ocean with seating for 10,000 per session, sold a total of 110,000 tickets. The week will feature 26 events, but no relays. Generally the four fastest swimmers in a particular event will make up an Olympic relay team. Adding to the pressure facing participants, each country can enter only two swimmers per event in the Olympics. That means a third-place finish, which usually means a trip to the medals stand, won't cut it. Cliff said the sessions will be identical to the Olympic program, including the atmosphere. He declined to detail the plans. "That's a secret, but I can tell you: People will want to come back," he said. Cliff recently returned from a trip to the Myrtha pool manufacturing headquarters north of Milan, Italy. "We were checking out the newest technology for things like setting it up," he said, "and it was a good trip." ---