The Indianapolis-Carmel community is the No. 10 swim city in America, according to a new study commissioned by USA Swimming and leading swimwear brand Speedo. Scores were based on the highest aggregate in categories such as percentage of active swimmers and swim clubs, number of accessible pools and volume of top-level swimmers from the area.
The 50 Top Swim Cities, presented by Speedo , ranked Ann Arbor, Michigan first, followed by San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut; San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont; Fort Collins-Loveland, Colorado; Madison, Wisconsin; Austin-Round Rock, Texas; Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, and Indianapolis-Carmel.
“I’ve always known what a great swim city we have, and being one of the top 10 in the country validates it,” said Chris Plumb, head coach of the Carmel Swim Club. “The Indiana University Natatorium is an iconic part of the swimming community and provides a great venue for historic moments.”
The Indianapolis-Carmel area has hosted multiple USA Swimming national meets, and also boasts a high percentage of clubs and active members. Indiana University Natatorium’s seating capacity of 4,700 makes it the largest indoor pool in the United States. The popularity of the sport is reflected in local Carmel High School, which has won 28-straight state swimming titles.
“Cities like Indianapolis represent the best of the sport in America by placing focus on both community involvement on swim teams and Olympic headline makers,” said Matt Farrell, Chief Marketing Officer for USA Swimming. “This list can be an inspiration for kids and families everywhere to get involved in a sport that accommodates all lifestyles.”
“The swimming community is the core of the Speedo brand and we are proud to recognize these 50 cities for their leadership in the sport,” said Speedo USA President Jim Gerson. “These cities – and all the swimmers in each – are terrific ambassadors for our sport and an example of how, and why, participation in swimming continues to grow.”
Ann Arbor was the top-rated community, in part due to the city’s rich history of the sport at the Olympic and local level. More than 60 Olympians have emerged from University of Michigan’s swim program and respective USA Swimming clubs. Gold medalists Tyler Clary and Tom Dolan started their journey in Ann Arbor before taking a place atop the podium. In the last year, swimming participation grew 16 percent in Michigan, validating the sport’s significant impact within the community.
The ranking index was developed through a comparison of each city’s swim-related attributes relative to the overall U.S. population. Key elements included the number of current USA swimming members, number of masters swimmers and number of USA swimming clubs. The study also looked at the number of qualifying swimmers for high level competitions like the Speedo Champions Series, Speedo Junior Nationals, Phillips 66 National Swimming Championships, Olympic Trials and the Olympic Games, as well as Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) participation data, including the numbers of competitive and fitness swimmers, and the number of swim facilities open to the public in each city.
The complete list of the 50 Top Swim Cities can be found at: www.usaswimming.org/50TopSwimCities . To find out more about swimming and access resources to locate a nearby swim club, go to: www.swimtoday.org .
The research study was commissioned by USA Swimming and Speedo in partnership with SRi and Sports Marketing Surveys, the official research provider to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.
