Diversity
Your city could host the Make a Splash Tour presented by Phillips 66
By USA Swimming Foundation | Friday, February 22, 2019
As the USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash Tour presented by Phillips 66 enters its 11th year, with more than 50 stops across the country, we want you to tell us why your community deserves to host a tour stop as part of a national media campaign focusing on the importance of learning to swim!
The winning host will earn a coveted USA Swimming Foundation Make a Splash Tour stop in their city, including an appearance by a minimum of two USA Swimming Foundation Ambassadors, and a USA Swimming Foundation grant* to support swim lesson scholarships for children in their local community!
Host proposals are now being accepted for one of four 2019 Make a Splash Tour presented by Phillips 66 locations for a late-May, 2019 event date.** The Foundation is seeking a comprehensive proposal package highlighting the community’s ability to promote the importance of learning to swim and water safety to a wide audience in a one-day format, to include, but not limited to: national and local media opportunities; community engagement and involvement; and the ability to make a difference in your community through swimming lessons.
The winning bid will be selected based on the host’s ability to support the primary goal of the USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash Tour, raising awareness about the importance of learning to swim, by leveraging their relationships with local media, organizations, and the community at large to maximize the impact of the event. The winning bid will be a cooperative decision between representatives of the USA Swimming Foundation and Phillips 66.
Interested parties must complete the online proposal application using the link provided below no later than Friday, March 8, 2019 at 5pm EST. The winning bid will be announced on or before March 15, 2019.
In addition to the initial announcement and all subsequent USA Swimming Foundation event promotions, the USA Swimming Foundation will provide a minimum of two USA Swimming Foundation Ambassadors, signage and event branding, USA Swimming Foundation Make a Splash protocol and educational materials for participants/attendees, USA Swimming Foundation event, Public Relations, photography and videography support, and a grant to the host organization to support swim lesson opportunities for children in the community.
Upon selection, parties involved in the winning bid must meet the minimum requirements for, and be willing and able to participate in, the appropriate USA Swimming Foundation Make a Splash network (Local Partner, Task Force, Affiliate); the requirements of which can be located here: www.usaswimmingfoundation.org/makeasplash . Parties involved in the winning bid [depending how previously defined] may be required to complete, sign, and return to USA Swimming Foundation a W-9, an affidavit of eligibility, a grant agreement, and a liability and publicity release.
For questions regarding the bid process or the USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash Tour, please contact us at masinfo@usaswimming.org, 719-866-3546.
*USA Swimming Foundation grants for swim lessons must be directed to a provider of swim lessons
** Specific date to be determined based on host, athlete, and Foundation availability
Click here to view official contest rules.
The USA Swimming Foundation seeks to raise national awareness about the importance of learning to swim. Entering its 11th year, the Make a Splash Tour presented by Phillips 66 visits cities across America with the help of USA Swimming Foundation Ambassadors and National Team athletes to spread the life-saving message of learn-to-swim to children, families, and communities. The Tour has enhanced publicity and expanded the reach of the Make a Splash initiative to a wide audience of parents, learn-to-swim providers, educators, and community leaders, and received extensive national media exposure in outlets such as Sports Illustrated, the Today Show, HBO Real Sports and more. To learn more about the USA Swimming Foundation and the Make a Splash Tour presented by Phillips 66, visit www.usaswimmingfoundation.org/tour.
Coach Jamal Roberts is getting more kids into the pool – BLAC Detroit
Photo by Lauren Jeziorski
During the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the world watched as Simone Manuel became the first black woman to win a gold medal in an individual swimming event. Now, through Razor Aquatics Swim Team, coach Jamal Roberts has a goal of getting black kids more involved in competitive swimming. Like the kids he coaches today, Roberts got his start in swimming when he was about 11 years old while looking for an activity to do during the summer at his local recreation center.“We had a team with black children on it, but we were the only ones everywhere that we went,” Roberts says. “I wanted to be able to keep that type of thing going, while at the same time trying to see if we could get children from the Detroit area swimming at a higher level. I wanted to really see how far we could get kids of color in swimming.”Roberts started the Razor Aquatics Swim Team when he was just 21, while he was still competing on Wayne State University’s swim team.
Source: http://www.blacdetroit.com
Black Swimmers: ‘I Missed The Memo That Said Black Women Don’t Swim. So I Do.’
When I tell people I routinely swim, more often than not, they do a double take. Here’s why.
By Sherri Daye Scott
I am a swimmer. I own all the proper gear. Both my suit and goggles are highly rated on Amazon, and I use a fancy French sunscreen to protect my face from chlorine burn. If I time my mornings right, I can swim 10 laps, take a long shower, hydrate my curls, and be at my desk before 9:30 a.m. Swimming is the one workout I stick with. The repetition lulls me into a meditative state where I can think and decompress; all the while, my body is stretching and pulling against the weight of the water. Resistance training at its best.Still, when I tell people I routinely swim, more often than not, they do a double take. That’s because I am a black woman. And everyone knows black people—women in particular—don’t swim. Except we do, as Simone Manuel’s 2016 Olympic gold proved. READ MORE…..
Source: http://www.womenshealthmag.com
Olympic Swimmer and Record Breaker To Visit Morehouse College ‹ Morehouse College News Center
For Media Inquiries Contact:Aileen Dodd, 404-808-5428, aileen.dodd@morehouse.eduATLANTA, Dec. 1, 2016 –
Olympic Medalist Maritza Correia, the first black woman to set an American record in swimming, will visit Morehouse College today, Thursday, Dec. 1, to teach students to swim and give tips to a competitive league.Correia will meet with students from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Archer Hall Swimming Pool, 830 Westview Drive S.W., Atlanta. Her visit is being co-hosted by the Morehouse Department of Recreation and Fitness and the Atlanta University Center Tiger Sharks.Students pre-registered for the opportunity to take swimming lessons from the Olympian. Correia will also meet with competitive swimmers from the DeKalb Aquatics Swim Team.Correia began swimming at age seven as an unconventional therapy to correct a curvature of her spine. Swimming soon became her passion. She later won four state titles and a national championship as a student at Tampa Bay Technical High School.At the University of Georgia, Correia continued to dominate as a swimmer. But her growth wasn’t enough to help her to qualify for the 2000 U.S. Olympic team. She didn’t let the disappointment keep her from pushing forward, however. Correia became focused on securing a spot in the 2004 Olympics. She soon began a regimen that kept her in the water swimming 14,000 meters each day for six days each week.In 2002, Correia became the first African-American woman to set an American record in swimming in the 50-and-100-yard freestyle events at the Women’s NCAA Championships. Two years later, Correia achieved her Olympic dream. She became the first African-American woman to land a spot on the U.S. Olympic swim team. She won a silver medal in the 400-meter freestyle relay at the Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Source: Olympic Swimmer and Record Breaker To Visit Morehouse College ‹ Morehouse College News Center
Learn to Swim program expands to High Point
Source: Learn to Swim program expands to High Point | News | hpenews.com
Artist Malcolm Peacock deals with death, swimming, and segregation
Source: Artist Malcolm Peacock deals with death, swimming, and segregation – Baltimore City Paper
NBC Muffed Simone Manuel’s Historic Moment – Hartford Courant
Source: NBC Muffed Simone Manuel’s Historic Moment – Hartford Courant
Ashleigh Johnson makes a different kind of history in the pool – The Washington Post
Source: Ashleigh Johnson makes a different kind of history in the pool – The Washington Post
Historically Black Sorority Teams Up With USA Swimming to Teach Swimming, Water Safety | NBC4 Washington
Former Olympian teaches swim lesson in Virginia Beach | Local News | pilotonline.com
Rowdy Gaines, who won three gold medals in swimming at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and broke 25 world records in his swimming career, was in Virginia Beach on National
Source: Former Olympian teaches swim lesson in Virginia Beach | Local News | pilotonline.com
East Lothian teacher accused of racism after pupils claim he told them black people can’t swim (From East Lothian Courier)
Ludacris, Hilson, Michael join effort to teach kids to swim | SanDiegoUnionTribune.com
Source: Ludacris, Hilson, Michael join effort to teach kids to swim | SanDiegoUnionTribune.com
Double-gold Olympian aims to make another splash for Rio Games
Leading source of News affecting African American community in Charlotte North Carolina.
Source: www.thecharlottepost.com
Olympic Gold Medalist Cullen Jones Makes a Splash by Teaching Kids to Swim
Source: Olympic Gold Medalist Cullen Jones Makes a Splash by Teaching Kids to Swim
At 16, Reece Whitley Stands Tall in and Out of Water – The New York Times
Source: At 16, Reece Whitley Stands Tall in and Out of Water – The New York Times