Indianapolis Indiana

Nov 3-5 – Indianapolis, USA: FINA 2022 World Cup Series (Leg 3/3)

Three days after the Toronto meet, I arrive in Indianapolis, at Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) for the final leg of the 2022 Swimming World Cup Series. This is my second ever time at this pool, called IU Natatorium – only once before for the 2017 NCAA Championships when I was still swimming with the University of Tennessee. This facility is one of the best pools in the world. From the super high ceilings, bright lights, and thousands of seats in the stands, to the salt water, and depth of the pool – all these elements together make for some very fast swimming.

The U.S. Olympic Trials are sometimes held in this very pool. Over 130 national records and 19 world records have been swum in this water as swimmers compete for a spot to represent their country on the International Stage. It was built in 1982 but has been renovated multiple times since to keep up with the most advanced technology.

This is the first time I was able to walk around downtown Indianapolis a bit! Even in November, the weather was quite warm – a really nice surprise after spending a week in cold, rainy Toronto. The trees were changing colour, and it was an easy city to walk around in with loads of cute coffee shops to choose from.

There were lots of classic looking government and postal service buildings with huge columns and statues out the front mixed in with glass skyscrapers reaching up into the sky. In the middle of everything, is a giant monument called the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. It is the War Memorial monument for state of Indiana, and it looks exactly like some of the monuments you would find in Rome, Italy! It is only 15 feet shorter than the Statue of Liberty. I love it when big cities add unique features to their downtown – it gives the city more personality and makes it much more exciting to go sight-seeing.

These past few weeks have been busy with swim meets, so I am excited for some good training and more racing to come next month! Thanks for following along!