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Athlete Applications Open for 2023 National Diversity Select Camp

Athlete applications are now open for the 2023 National Diversity Select Camp, scheduled for May 4-7, 2023, at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Athlete applications are open (here) and will close February 10, 2023 at 5:00 pm MT. Athletes will be notified of their selection by March 3.

The National Diversity Select Camp was created to empower athletes from diverse backgrounds and under-represented populations to participate in a one-of-a-kind swimming experience. Up to 28 athletes from each competition category will have the opportunity to attend various in and out of water workouts and training sessions, led by decorated leaders within the sport. To qualify, athletes 14-16 years old must have achieved at least one National Diversity Select Camp time standard (13-14 AAAA qualifying time) in a USA Swimming sanctioned or approved swim meet between September 1, 2021 – August 31, 2022.

“It was an incredible experience that I’m extremely grateful for,” said 2022 attendee Emese Szekely (Mission Viejo Nadadores). “It was so inspiring to meet so many people from so many different cultures and places. We created a dream team. No one was the same but we all had such similar goals that really pushed us to be our best.”

All attendees will be provided lodging, meals, full airfare cost and ground transportation to/from the Colorado Springs airport. Alumni from the camp include swimming stars Simone Manuel, Jay Litherland, Torri Huske and Natalie Hinds.

Read more on the camp from the perspective of 2022 attendees here. 

For more information on the 2023 National Diversity Select Camp, please visit https://www.usaswimming.org/swimmers-parents/swimmers/swim-camps#national-diversity-select.

If you have any questions regarding the camp application and selection process, please reach out to Kristin Alfano, Manager of Program Operations, at kalfano@usaswimming.org.   

Each year, USA Swimming invites 56 athletes from underrepresented populations to participate in a four-day camp program which includes pool training, motivational and education sessions and team-building activities. Selection is based on times swum at USA Swimming sanctioned events.

2022 National Diversity Select Camp:

Julia Huffmaster, BOZ, is one of 52 top athletes from across the country selected to attend the USA Swimming National Diversity Select Camp. Congratulations, Julia!!

USA Swimming announced on April 15th 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 visit  https://www.usaswimming.org/swimmers-parents/swimmers/swim-camps#national-diversity-select

Read the story on the USA Swimming website at:  https://www.usaswimming.org/news/2022/04/15/Fifty-two-athletes-selected-to-2022-national-diversity-select-camp 

Each year, USA Swimming invites 56 athletes from underrepresented populations to participate in a four-day camp program which includes pool training, motivational and education sessions and team-building activities. Selection is based on times swum at USA Swimming sanctioned events.

PURPOSE: Instill a vision of success and inspire athletes from ethnically under-represented populations to become leaders in the sport of swimming.

GOALS: To empower athletes from ethnically under-represented populations and their coaches to:

• Demonstrate the viability of multicultural success in swimming. 
• Achieve performance excellence at every level of the sport. 
•  Expound the benefits and value of participating in the sport of swimming. 
•  Assist in recruiting more swimmers and coaches from diverse ethnicities to the sport of swimming. 
•  Be positive leaders and role models that others from multicultural backgrounds can emulate.

NUMBER OF ATHLETES: 56 athletes (28 boys & 28 girls)

APPLICATION DEADLINE: To be announced.

AGE: 14 – 16 years of age. Age is as of the first day of camp.

ELIGIBILITY: Any USA Swimming registered athlete member who is eligible to represent the USA in international competition: a U.S. citizen who has NOT represented another country in international competition, in the case of dual citizens (your sport nation must be the United States), meets the qualification time standards, has not previously attended a USA Swimming Diversity Select Camp and represents an ethnically underrepresented population that is less than 10% of the current USA Swimming membership. These populations can include: African American, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander, Native American, and others. As an added component, six athletes of each gender will be chosen from Outreach membership applicants. A swimmer cannot attend a Zone Select Camp and the Diversity Select Camp in the same year.  

QUALIFICATION STANDARDS: Athletes must have achieved at least one Diversity Select Camp time standard to apply for selection. These times are AAAA National Motivational Times for 13-14 year olds. Times must have been achieved in a USA Swimming sanctioned or approved meet (able to be proven in the SWIMS database).

APPLICATION: The athlete application is available when posted on the USA Swimming website. 
 

Please note: Application must be filled out by the athlete.  The athlete must have a USA Swimming website account and username that is linked to the athlete's USA Swimming record. The athlete will not be able to access the application until logged into his/her account.

SELECTION CRITERIA: From the applications, the athlete with the fastest time in each of the 13 Olympic events will automatically be selected. Only LCM times will be considered. Additionally, three athletes of each sex will be selected based on IMX scores, three athletes of each sex will be selected based on outstanding performance in one or more events, and five athletes of each sex will be chosen based on Outreach membership status.

CAMP SCHEDULE: The 4-day camp program will include a combination of pool training, motivational and education sessions, and team building activities.

COST: Each athlete selected for the camp will be provided free room and board at the Olympic Training Center, ground transportation in Colorado Springs and full airfare to Colorado Springs.

PERSONAL COACHES: As with the National Select Camp program, the personal coaches of the athletes selected will be invited to attend the camp and will be provided an educational tract similar to that offered to the athletes. Personal coaches will be provided room and board at the OTC, ground transportation from/to the Colorado Springs airport, and a $200 reimbursement to offset airfare expense.

CAMP STAFF: The camp staff will be selected from accomplished multicultural candidates from across the USA and include a head coach, four assistant coaches, two managers, and a national team athlete. Assistant coach and manager candidates must submit a written application. The staff will be announced when the team is set, however, appointment is contingent upon passing all required background screens.

USA SWIMMING STAFF: Staff from the Sport Development and National Team divisions, as well as outside speakers will be assigned as necessary to provide support and make presentations.