COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The USA Swimming Foundation, the philanthropic arm of USA Swimming, is hoping fans around the country will want to picture themselves in Omaha in June for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming. In lieu of joining the event in person, swim enthusiasts can now purchase a cardboard cutout of themselves, a friend, a family member or even a pet to fill one of the socially distanced seats in the CHI Health Center Omaha. 

There are two purchase options available: $75 for a single cutout in-venue and $125 to have both the in-venue cutout and a replica sent to the purchaser’s home. The images will be visible throughout both Wave I, June 4-7, and Wave II, June 13-20, of the event. 

“The Faces in the Crowd initiative provides fans from coast to coast with a unique opportunity to take part in the biggest swimming event in the U.S., while also giving back to the Foundation to help further its mission to save lives and build champions,” USA Swimming Director of Development Scott Usher said. “Not only will fans be helping to make a difference, but they’ll be elevating the in-venue experience for all our athletes and Olympic hopefuls.”  

In an effort to deliver the safest competition possible and to mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19, the venue seating map was reconfigured, reducing daily session attendance capacity at the Trials event to approximately 50%. The USA Swimming Foundation hopes to fill many of the blocked-off seats with the 2-D smiling faces and ‘sell-out’ the venue.  

Faces in the Crowd must be purchased by May 22, 2021. Once purchased, instructions on how to submit photos will be sent to the purchaser. Faces in the Crowd can be purchased here. 

The $75 or $125 fee is a partially tax-deductible donation to the USA Swimming Foundation, supporting their mission to save lives and build champions. To learn more about the programs supported by the USA Swimming Foundation, visit https://www.usaswimming.org/foundation. 

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