Advocating for The Diversity in USA Swimming Initiative

Guest editorial by Rosemary Camera, LGAC Twister Assistant Coach

FLUSHING, New York, November 18. AS a new swim coach I was hoping to get more involved in my LSC, writing to committee chairs and envisioning a path toward incorporating more fun and pageantry into our championship meets with perhaps a Parade of Athletes and more team banners etc. After numerous attempts, I finally received a reply e-mail from our General Chair, beckoning from the USA Swimming Diversity Summit, that he would forward my inquiries to the proper individuals (assuming that his return address would require reading where mine did not), and stating "When I get back, I will be looking to appoint a Diversity Chair who will form a committee."

The concept of chairing a Diversity Committee appeals to me in theory.

In addition to being a swim coach, I work in a NYC Public Elementary School with 800 multi-racial students. Some of them live in homeless shelters and some of them live in townhouses. They prove to me on a daily basis that the virtue and potential of human spirit is not limited to or defined by an individual's line of ancestry or income.

I recently read a comment by a respected swim coach that speaks directly to this need for both diversity and outreach in USA Swimming. He said "We win a medal for every 11 or 12 million people, Australia figures out how to win one for every million and a half" (Milt Helms). Is that because the IOC only allows each country to send two swimmers per event? If the regulation were to be waived would the count be directly proportionate to per capita population? And if not, is it because of coaching skill or talent pool. Interesting questions…

Nonetheless, I still wonder how are they doing that? Why aren't we? And, how can we?

The answer is to discover ways to find the needles in the haystack by

a) looking in unsuspected places

b) advertising the advantages that the sport of swimming offers to individuals and

c) building advocates of the sport to support it's ability to reach individuals who otherwise would not or could not participate.

Clearly, the mission of seeking diversity in the sport of swimming simultaneously raises the chances of discovering talent. (Which is, I suspect, an impetus of this mission.)

The team I coach for, which I am proud to be a member of, is a model of diversity (whether by design or by default) with a large percentage of swimmers coming from families who are first generation natives of a vast array of the cultures of the world. We are already reaching out in our community to build the base of our team and our league. My head coach has been trying to hatch a unique plan to partner with the NY City Parks and Recreation Aquatics Department to bring quality coaches into their recreational teams that could provide solid instruction and simultaneously field talent. It faced obstacles that could perhaps be broken down under the banner of endorsing a USA Swimming Diversity Initiative.

LSCs can and should ignite a spirit of expansion and inclusion in order to grow as entities and to identify the resources that will infuse and sustain potential champions who have the passion and competitive spirit necessary to reach higher levels of achievement. Let us draw from the melting pot of cultures that makes our country unique. Let us find creative solutions to enable individuals whose economic status prohibits the indulgence of joining a swim team. Let us raise the bar of our leagues and our organization by encouraging teams to pledge scholarships to talented under-privileged swimmers, by seeking funding from outside individuals and organizations, both public and private, and by creating ambassadors from each team to assist in seeing a vision of diversity, in the sport of swimming, through to fruition.

I believe that there will be resistance to this mission. There will be individuals who blow it off completely. Some whose sentiments will be simpatico with those who enjoyed the homogeneous skin tones of their Pennsylvania pool before a group of minority children from a day care rented it for a few hours a week… This will be no easy task; but as the Roman poet Ovid said: "Dripping water hollows out a stone, not through force but through persistence."

To the persistent Coaches out there (and you all are persistent) get on the Diversity Bandwagon. The needles in the haystack will gravitate toward shiny magnets. And as John Leonard likes to quote, "A rising tide lifts all the boats."

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