USA Swimming has selected 48 up-and-coming athletes and seven coaches to participate in USA Swimming’s 11thAnnual National Diversity Select Camp, to be held May 4-7 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
The purpose of the camp is to instill a vision of success and inspire athletes from ethnically under-represented populations to become leaders in the sport of swimming. Swimmers nationwide are invited to the highly competitive three-day camp, which includes pool training, motivational and educational sessions and team-building activities.
The entire list of camp participants may be found here. Forty-four different clubs from 20 states will be represented and alumni of the program include Olympic gold medalist Simone Manuel (Sugar Land, Texas/Stanford Swimming).
“Once again we have a very talented group of athletes attending this year’s National Diversity Select Camp,” said Juan Caraveo, USA Swimming Diversity and Inclusion Consultant. “The athletes coming to this year’s camp are some of the most seasoned competitors we’ve hosted as many have participated in a variety national competitions and other USA Swimming Camps. We look forward to incorporating these competitive experiences into our themes of motivation, education, leadership and excellence.”
Originally created in the 1990s as an Outreach Camp, the National Diversity Select Camp was renamed in 2006. The camp hosts swimmers between the ages 14 and 16 and selection is based on times swum at USA Swimming sanctioned events. Each athlete selected for the camp will be provided complimentary room and board at the Olympic Training Center, ground transportation and full airfare to Colorado Springs.
The goal of USA Swimming’s National Diversity Select Camp is to:
- Empower athletes from ethnically under-represented populations
- Demonstrate the viability of multicultural success in swimming
- Achieve performance excellence at every level of the sport
- Expound the benefits and value of participating in the sport of swimming
- Assist in recruiting more swimmers and coaches from diverse ethnicities to the sport of swimming
- Be positive leaders and role models that others from multicultural backgrounds can emulate
The camp staff is comprised of accomplished multicultural coaches and managers from across the USA and includes a head coach, four assistant coaches and two managers. The staff will be announced later in March.
For more information on National Diversity Select Camp please visitusaswimming.org.
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 advance in 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 www.usaswimming.org.
News courtesy of USA Swimming.