By Rob Sleamaker, Owner of Vasa Inc.
Thousands of swimming fans “race” 50M Freestyle on Vasa SwimErgs
A long line of swimmers and parents are waiting their turn to challenge themselves and each other by “racing” 50 Meters on the Vasa SwimErgs. It’s June 15, and I am the AquaZone at the 2024 USA Swimming Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. The place is buzzing with a massive crowd of swim fans.
By good fortune, this is the fourth time Vasa has been invited to host an activation of SwimErg racing at the USA Swimming Olympic Trials – we were here in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2024. Every Olympic Trials AquaZone has been a unique and exciting experience. Thanks to the organizers at USA Swimming, the 2024 AquaZone and Olympic Trials were the best. They sure know how to put on a world-class event!
It’s a Dad’s turn to race his daughter on the two Vasa SwimErgs. Soon, they become fierce competitors as they complete the 50M challenge. Dad wins, but only by half a second! There were smiles all around.
You might be wondering:
- Why was Vasa at the 2024 Olympic Trials for the fourth time?
- How did Vasa Trainer become so involved in competitive swimming?
- Why do thousands of swimming fans come to the Olympic Trials?
Why was Vasa at the 2024 USA Swimming Olympic Trials?
Luck is when Opportunity meets Preparedness. This year, USA Swimming recommended that Malibu C ask us to collaborate to create an interactive experience activation within their booth area. We said Yes!
It was a huge success! An estimated 1500 swimmers and fans raced 50M Freestyle on the Vasa SwimErgs! They raced for bragging rights, fun, redemption…and the chance to win a new Vasa Trainer Pro.
Before arriving at the Trials, we were unaware that Toyota had purchased two Vasa SwimErgs for their sports activation area. It was a nice surprise for us; I’m sure over a thousand people swam on those machines!
In 2016, Vasa was asked by the American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA) to do a similar activation. Over 750 brave swimmers raced a 50M Freestyle on the Vasa SwimErgs! On completion of their “race”, each racer received a souvenir “finisher” card with their official time, decals & temporary tattoos, plus they got to take an “I raced at Olympic Trials” selfie while wearing a Gold or Silver medal.
At the 2016 Trials, Masters swimmer Tom Blackburne set his age-group record for 50M on the Vasa Swim Erg at Trials.
He told me, “It was a distinct pleasure to meet you. Having owned a Vasa Trainer for over 24 years, I admire you and your company. Your Trainer is a large reason why I became an accomplished swimmer. I would strongly recommend it to anyone wanting a competitive edge in our sport. I hope our paths cross again.”
It was a thrill to meet Tom and hear his remarkable story and high regard for Vasa.
In 2012, Mutual of Omaha created the “Swimulator” event, with four Vasa SwimErgs for fans to “race” on. That was indeed an exciting event, drawing in well over 1,000 fans.
At the 2008 Olympic Trials, fans could try out the Vasa Trainers, SwimErgs and other types of training equipment and gadgets on hand by Vasa, Finis, and other industry suppliers.
How did Vasa become so widely used in competitive swimming?
Our involvement in swimming began when we introduced the Vasa Trainer to swim coaches at the 1990 ASCA World Clinic. The Vasa Trainer originated when I observed swimmers & triathletes needed a better way to improve specific strength & power. I wanted to know if swim coaches had those exact needs. My ideas were confirmed at that ASCA clinic when three legendary USA Olympic swim coaches (Richard Quick (r.i.p.), Richard Shoulberg of Germantown Academy, and Nort Thornton (r.i.p) from Cal-Berkeley) came over to our booth together. They tried out the Vasa Trainer and immediately got very excited. One coach asked me, “Where have you been all this time? We’ve been looking for something like this for ten years!”
The funny part of this story is that I had no idea who these coaches were! Later that day, I saw their pictures and profiles in the clinic speakers program. It was then that I realized the full impact of what had happened. They indeed “discovered” Vasa and the rest is history.
Ever since, our products have been in demand worldwide by swim coaches, swimmers, triathletes, physical therapists, and conditioning coaches. Our involvement has led us to develop innovations like the Vasa SwimErg described above.
Starting with the 1996 Atlanta Games and at every Games continuing to the present, Olympic venues have equipped their athlete training areas with Vasa Trainers and SwimErgs…most often at the request of coaches and athletes. Of course, these same coaches and athletes use Vasa equipment on their home turf.
It’s a special privilege to be part of this movement. It is the pinnacle of years of diligent training progression and excellence for the thousands of athletes and coaches who aspire to be stronger, better, and faster.
Why do thousands of fans come to USA Swimming Olympic Trials?
After returning from the 2016 Trials, I had an excellent discussion with my friend and colleague, Joe Jacobi (Olympic Gold Medalist in Whitewater Slalom Canoe, 1992).
Joe reminded me that the Olympics are meant to be shared and celebrated by all those involved – especially by the millions of fans – families, friends, volunteers, and coaches who have supported the athletes along their path to success. The expression “it takes a village” applies to the back story of every Olympian. It takes many people working in a broad-based collaborative effort to support every athlete, every team, and every coach from every country to reach the Olympic Games, where they will strive to perform at their very best.
The thousands of fans who attended the USA Swimming Trials in Indianapolis this year had spent their collective time, energy, and money in support of the Olympic swimming movement – the athletes, coaches, teams & clubs, the officials & administrators, the sponsors & suppliers had all benefited from the fan base support. The dedicated fans who participated in the exciting activities of the AquaZone and the fans who cheered their favorite swimmers each night at the Finals were, and always will be, part of the essential “village” it takes to raise athletes to make an Olympic dream come true.
In swimming, every stroke counts. In this case, every fan, parent, aspiring young swimmer, coach, official, and volunteer involved in our sport COUNTS. They count more than words could ever express. The Paris Olympics will soon be underway. All of us at Vasa feel fortunate, and we are grateful that our Preparedness has met with Opportunity so we can support the success of our swimmers and coaches. I’ll take that kind of Luck any day of the week!
Everyone who raced on the SwimErgs in the AquaZone at the 2024 Olympic Trials could enter our drawing to win a brand new Vasa Trainer Pro. Congratulations to Lindsay Melcher of Riverside, Connecticut, on winning our Olympic Trials Giveaway!
