Swimmers, building weather storm at trials

OMAHA - All was back to normal yesterday morning at the site of the US Olympic swimming trials after a frightening thunderstorm during Friday afternoon's rush hour damaged the exterior of the Qwest Center and required 600 competitors to evacuate the pool during practice.

"We're not pretty, but we're functioning," reported Roger Dixon, the arena's chief executive officer. "We're very lucky we had no injuries. The building was built to stand up to this kind of wind. It proved it could."

The storm, which roared through Nebraska's largest city packing 80-mile-per-hour winds and large hail, killed two Iowa teenagers whose car was crushed by one of many uprooted trees and knocked out power to more than 130,000 homes and businesses.

The Qwest Center had siding ripped from the front of the building and a burst drainpipe sent water flooding inside. "It'll be several weeks before we'll be a pretty new building again," assessed Harold Cliff, the trials' chief operating officer.

After the alarm sounded, the swimmers, including megastar Michael Phelps, were brought to lower-level hallways until the all-clear was given. "It seemed like a big age-group swim meet," observed US national team coach Mark Schubert. "Kids were playing cards and visiting with each other. There was no panic or problem."

If a similar storm occurs during the weeklong trials, which begin this morning, officials have two backup plans - one to reschedule races here, another to move them to one of two undisclosed venues out of state. "We certainly hope we don't have to do that," said Cliff. "The building withstood an enormous force yesterday very well."

JOHN POWERS