USA Swimming, the National Governing Body for the sport of swimming in the United States, announced today that it is launching its most progressive new membership category since 2012. The Flex Swim membership will make entering the sport easier and encourage swimmers to stay involved in life\u2019s other activities.<\/p>\n
The Flex Swim membership offers a rate of $20 to create an entry-level experience in the sport and sample some of the great benefits of membership in USA Swimming such as the ability to compete in meets (two meets per year), access to USA Swimming\u2019s digital personalized member account Deck Pass, insurance coverage, education materials and more. When kids fall in love with the sport and want to swim more, they can then apply that to a Premium membership*, which offers unlimited swim meets, Splash<\/em> magazine and more.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Flex Swim membership allows us to introduce the sport to a new generation of athletes, using a product that is more conscious of the current environment and competitive in the youth sports market,\u201d USA Swimming President & CEO Tim Hinchey III said. \u201cOur goal is to adapt to busy family lifestyles and introduce the sport of swimming with a lower barrier to entry and flexibility to still enjoy the many other available activities. Historical data tells us that if we can get a kid to try team swimming, they will stick with it and enjoy it.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Flex Swim membership is designed for kids who want to experience swimming on a team but have not yet taken that next step. According to a State of the Swimming Industry Report[1], nearly 80 percent of parents don\u2019t consider swimming as a competitive sport for their kids after completing swim lessons, largely due to a number of common misconceptions they have about the sport. Similarly, it was noted that 43 percent of kids who stop swimming say it is because it is too much of a time commitment.<\/p>\n It was also noted in that same study that 48 percent of the kids who leave USA Swimming say they do so to play other sports. Given the many recent studies and industry discussions about the pressure and impact of early sport specialization, USA Swimming is embracing the notion and health benefits of multi-sport play and participation, both physical and mental.<\/p>\n