The U.S. Olympic Swimming Team Trials took place from June 15-23, were held for the first time ever in an NFL stadium—Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis, home of the Colts football team. The stadium venue, which would be able to seat 30,000 after the construction of two Olympic-sized pools over the football field, more than twice the number the earlier arena (CHI Health Center Omaha) could accommodate, presented significant live-sound challenges for the event, which was also broadcast on NBC Sports. A DiGiCo SD12-96 console—supported by DiGiCo SD-Racks and SD-MiNi Racks connected via an Optocore loop, as well as a DiGiCo Purple Box CAT5/MADI-to-optical convertor—assured that the entire audio system, including comms and feeds to broadcast, could be handled by the SD12-96 acting as a central sonic hub.
“It really is on a scale with an NFL Draft,” said Caleb Cassler, senior audio specialist with Dodd Technologies (DTI), which provided the live sound for the Olympic Swimming Team Trials this year as well as many USA Swimming Events since 1996, including past Olympic trials. Dodd also provided a second SD12-96 and a DiGiCo SD10 plus an SD-Rack for USA Swimming LIVE!, an outdoor music stage that programmed DJs, bands, and presentations all week between trials sessions.
