COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Swimming, the national governing body for the sport of swimming in the U.S., U.S. Masters Swimming and Golden Road Brewing has announced a new multi-year partnership, marking the first-ever alcohol sponsorship for USA Swimming.
As part of the partnership, Golden Road will serve as co-presenting sponsor of VIP hospitality experiences at USA Swimming House and USA Swimming Live at next year’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Omaha, Nebraska. The brewery will also hold activation rights in the Toyota Aqua Zone and serve as presenting sponsor of the “Last Session Show” and the Golden Goggles red carpet show. In a unique extension, Golden Road will also implement an athlete support program that provides financial support to adult athletes, as well as industry exposure and professional training.
“Golden Road is a natural partner for USA Swimming, as the company was co-founded by former USA Swimming National Team member Meg Gill,” USA Swimming Chief Commercial Officer Shana Ferguson said. “Together with Meg’s excellent staff and buoyed by premium products, we are now better equipped to host fans seeking an elevated hospitality experience. This is an exciting time for our sport, both in and out of the pool.”
A former captain of the Yale University swim team, Gill co-founded the Los Angeles, California-based brewery in 2011 when she was just 25. In 2015, Golden Road partnered with Anheuser-Busch to gain access to more resources which has helped the brewery expand its distribution nationwide.
“My dream since I was a little girl was to spread the passion and excitement I felt for swimming with others. My second love, beer, happens to have the ability to bring fans together and add to the enjoyment of watching competition,” Gill said. “By chance meeting last summer at the Nationals, I realized USA Swimming’s leadership team had a big vision of taking the sport of swimming to new heights – so our teams have worked on a truly unique partnership to help drive excitement for fans and athletes leading into a major year for swimming on the global stage. I can’t wait to enjoy a Golden Road beer while watching my favorite swimmers compete for a spot in Tokyo next summer.”
Golden Road has already been active within the Masters swim community through its support of Golden Road Aquatics, of which Gill is a member. Golden Road will also be featured at the 2019 U.S. Masters Swimming Summer National Championship Aug. 7-11 in Mission Viejo, California.
“We’re excited to partner with Golden Road,” U.S. Masters Swimming CEO Dawson Hughes said. “It’s already a familiar name in the Masters Swimming community because of the success of Golden Road Aquatics, one of our high-performing Masters clubs. We’re looking forward to working closely with Golden Road to continue improving our members’ experience at our events.”
The partnership grants Golden Road rights to official marks, branding, marketing and promotional opportunities at the Toyota U.S. Open, TYR Pro Swim Series events and Phillips 66 National Championships.
Learn more about Golden Road Brewing at www.goldenroad.la.
Keep up with all the latest USA Swimming news by following @usaswimming on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About USA Swimming
As the National Governing Body for the sport of swimming in the United States, USA Swimming is a 400,000-member service organization that promotes the culture of swimming by creating opportunities for swimmers and coaches of all backgrounds to participate and advancein the sport through clubs, events and education. Our membership is comprised of swimmers from the age group level to the Olympic Team, as well as coaches and volunteers. USA Swimming is responsible for selecting and training teams for international competition including the Olympic Games and strives to serve the sport through its core objectives: Build the base, Promote the sport, Achieve competitive success. For more information, visit usaswimming.org.
About U.S. Masters Swimming
U.S. Masters Swimming encourages adults to enjoy the health, fitness, and social benefits of swimming by providing more than 2,000 adult swimming programs and events across the country, including open water and pool competitions. USMS’s nearly 65,000 members range from age 18 to 99 and include swimmers of all ability levels. USMS, a nonprofit, also trains and certifies coaches and provides online workouts, a bimonthly member magazine, monthly newsletters, and technique articles and videos at usms.org.
About Golden Road
In 2011, beer enthusiast Meg Gill co-founded Golden Road Brewing to bring delicious craft beer to the Los Angeles area with the California lifestyle at the forefront. Beginning with its headquarters in the Atwater Village neighborhood of Los Angeles, Golden Road has since become the city’s largest craft brewer with beer and food concepts at Grand Central Market and LAX as well as a state-of-the-art brewery and tasting room in Anaheim and a beer garden in Sacramento. Now available throughout the US at nearly 70,000 locations, Golden Road’s year-round offerings include Mango Cart, Wolf Pup Session IPA, Spiked Agua Frescas as well as small batch releases of experimental beers.