USA Swimming Announces 2023 Make A Splash Tour Dates in Five Cities
USA Swimming on Tuesday released dates and locations for the 2023 Make a Splash Tour, which will visit five cities to raise awareness about water safety.
The tour, presented by Phillips 66, will be in Houston from May 1-3; Lake Charles, La., May 4-5; St. Louis and Roxana, Ill., May 14-16; and Billings, Mont., May 23-25. The 15th annual edition of the tour will include USA Swimming Foundation ambassadors Rowdy Gaines, Cullen Jones and Elizabeth Beisel. The stops will help educated children, parents, and community leaders about the importance of swimming education and drowning prevention.
“The Make a Splash tour is an important opportunity for us to speak loudly about the criticality of learning how to swim,” USA Swimming President and CEO Tim Hinchey III said in a press release. “We appreciate Phillips 66’s continued support of our efforts to bring this vital message to more communities and families across America.”
“We are proud to work with the USA Swimming Foundation to raise awareness around water safety and teach children to swim,” Phillips 66 Senior Advisor of Social Impact Courtney Meadows said. “Safety is pivotal to Phillips 66’s operations and culture.”
Drowning remains one of the leading causes of accidental death in youth. Up to 3,500 people in the U.S. drown every year, a quarter of them children aged 14 or younger. The drowning rate can be up to three times higher than the national average in ethnically diverse communities.
The Make A Splash Tour has existed since 2009, with Phillips 66 as a sponsor throughout. The company has partnered with USA Swimming in 1973.
The USA Swimming Foundation added a partnership with U.S. Maters Swimming for youth and adult learn-to-swim programs in 2021. Studies show that more than one-third of Americans cannot safely swim the length of the pool, and there’s just a 19 percent chance that the child of a parent who doesn’t know how to swim will then learn how to swim.