USA Swimming Announces Roster for National Diversity Select Camp, Scheduled for May 5-8

USA Swimming Announces Roster for National Diversity Select Camp, Scheduled for May 5-8

USA Swimming will host its annual National Diversity Select Camp next month when 52 teenage swimmers from around the country visit the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., for a four-day program designed to help “swimmers from diverse backgrounds to receive elite-level support, opportunity and exposure within the sport of swimming,” according to Leland Brown III, USA Swimming’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program Director.

Athletes eligible for this camp include those from an “underrepresented community and/or an ethnically underrepresented population that is less than 10% of the current USA Swimming membership. These populations can include African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian or Pacific Islander, Native American and others. Other athletes may be accepted if they represent another underrepresented demographic (e.g. LGBTQ+).”

This Diversity Select Camp will be held only seven months after the previous camp in October 2021, which was delayed because of COVID-19. USA Swimming’s membership remains overwhelmingly white, but the organization and others in the sport have made efforts over the past several years to promote diversity within swimming. Swimmers who have previously attended the Diversity Select Camp and went on to in medals at the Tokyo Olympics last year include Jay Litherland, Natalie Hinds, Simone Manuel and Torri Huske.

Read the full press release from USA Swimming below:

USA Swimming today announced the names of the 52 up-and-coming athletes selected for its National Diversity Select Camp. The camp will be held May 5-8 at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The full list of athlete and coach participants may be found here. Forty-five different clubs from 24 states will be represented. Alumni of the program include Tokyo Olympians Simone Manuel and Torri Huske.

“The National Diversity Select Camp is an amazing opportunity for swimmers from diverse backgrounds to receive elite-level support, opportunity and exposure within the sport of swimming,” USA Swimming Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program Director Leland Brown III said. “For many who attend, this is the first time they have the opportunity to compete and connect with swimmers, coaches and USA Swimming staff who look like them, which is such an important experience and opportunity for these athletes.”

An athlete at last year’s camp noted, “NDSC helped me realize that the sport of swimming is diverse even if I may not see it. It helped me realize that I have a community here too.”

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. Some of USA Swimming’s most diverse talent is brought to the camp for an extended weekend of pool training, leadership development, team-building activities and learning. Athletes’ personal coaches are encouraged to attend the camp as well.

The goal of USA Swimming’s National Diversity Select Camp is to:

Demonstrate the viability of multicultural success in swimming

Achieve performance excellence at every level of the sport

Expound on the benefits and value of participating in the sport of swimming

Be positive leaders and role models that others from multicultural backgrounds can emulate.

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 of 14 and 16 and selection is based on times swum at USA Swimming sanctioned events. Each athlete selected for the camp will receive complimentary room and board at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, ground transportation and full airfare to Colorado Springs.

For more information on National Diversity Select Camp, please click here.

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Dr. Amanda

2 years ago

GREAT JOB to ALL THE HAWAII SWIMMERS!! Make us proud!! #iolaniswimclub #Kamehemehaswimclub #Auleaswimclub

Rob

2 years ago

Isn’t this is a racist camp as people are primarily chose by race and ethnicity? Shouldn’t candidates be selected on character and competence and not on race or ethnicity? This is just another woke group

-4

Jax

1 year ago

Reply to Rob

You obviously know nothing about USA Swimming and even less about diversity and inclusion programs. It’s not only about race/ethnicity. This program is about DIVERSITY and INCLUSION! Any race /ethnicity has the potential to qualify for this particular camp.

USA Swimming also has other camps as well that have specific qualifications to be selected. Are those wrong??

Anna Smith

2 years ago

Kids were selected by their age group score that was achieved when they were 13-14 and score AAAA at 13-14 is pretty hard work so for you to say that Rob! U r probably the one who is Racist, which can be seen in every word you wrote here.