Saturday, July 8, 2023
Community Swim Night at the Phillips 66 National Championships
The USA Swimming Diversity, Equity and Inclusion staff was proud to welcome Indianapolis Parks and Rec, Warren Aquatic Club, Lawrence Swim Team and the Reset Center to its Community Swim Night at the Phillips 66 National Championships last week.
“Community Swim Nights are an opportunity to expose youth athletes, parents and coaches to all that the phenomenal sport of swimming has to offer,” said Leland Brown III, Program Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at USA Swimming. “During Community Nights at the pool, attendees get a personalized experience where they get swag, swimming equipment, interact with Olympians and watch some phenomenal competition.”
More than 50 athletes, coaches and parents engaged in conversation with four-time Olympic medalist Cullen Jones as he shared his story and his start in swimming. Attendees were gifted tickets to watch Friday’s finals, as well as a swag bag with sunglasses, USA Swimming pins, bag tags and stickers from USA Swimming and a Speedo t-shirt.
“(Attending an elite event) is important to me because we get to see good, competitive swimmers and not all of them are the same race and everyone is different,” said 15-year-old Galilea Diaz. “It’s good to see different people who are the same race as you so not everything is the same. You don’t feel different from everyone and it’s good to have connection.”
USA Swimming DEI Community Swim Nights have become a staple at USA Swimming national events, following the success of the inaugural event at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale, Florida earlier this year.
“This event is important for our kids for exposure,” said Ashley Shay, a parent and educator with Warren Aquatic Club. “Getting the opportunity to see diverse swimmers, and getting to work with Cullen is an amazing opportunity. I love that my child got this experience so that she can see that there are diverse swimmers out there.”
“Community Swim Nights are an opportunity to expose youth athletes, parents and coaches to all that the phenomenal sport of swimming has to offer,” said Leland Brown III, Program Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at USA Swimming. “During Community Nights at the pool, attendees get a personalized experience where they get swag, swimming equipment, interact with Olympians and watch some phenomenal competition.”
More than 50 athletes, coaches and parents engaged in conversation with four-time Olympic medalist Cullen Jones as he shared his story and his start in swimming. Attendees were gifted tickets to watch Friday’s finals, as well as a swag bag with sunglasses, USA Swimming pins, bag tags and stickers from USA Swimming and a Speedo t-shirt.
“(Attending an elite event) is important to me because we get to see good, competitive swimmers and not all of them are the same race and everyone is different,” said 15-year-old Galilea Diaz. “It’s good to see different people who are the same race as you so not everything is the same. You don’t feel different from everyone and it’s good to have connection.”
USA Swimming DEI Community Swim Nights have become a staple at USA Swimming national events, following the success of the inaugural event at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale, Florida earlier this year.
“This event is important for our kids for exposure,” said Ashley Shay, a parent and educator with Warren Aquatic Club. “Getting the opportunity to see diverse swimmers, and getting to work with Cullen is an amazing opportunity. I love that my child got this experience so that she can see that there are diverse swimmers out there.”