Dear Coach,

 

  1. Looking for who is hosting open water races.
  2. JUST RELEASED! Pan Pac Videos.
  3. Who is your hero?
  4. Educational Opportunities
  5. James Madison to drop its men’s swim team.
  6. When Youth Sports go Pro.  An attached pdf article.

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USA Swimming is looking for all USA Swimming sanction open water races.  We are looking to get them on the calendar.  With the 10 k being an Olympic event, we do not have a good grasp of all of the races being conducted.  We are getting a dozen calls a week about where are the swims.  So, if your team or LSC is hosting please send the details to Dave Thomas at dthomas@usa-swimming.org  He will then get those up on the website under Open Water section of the USA Swimming web page.

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View Details

2006 PAN PAC DVDs (8060)
Unit Price:  $15.00
Description:  Relive the excitement of the World and American Records set at the Pan Pacific Championships in Victoria, B.C..

   

 

 

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WANTED: WET OR DRY -- TELL US ABOUT A WATER SAFETY HERO

Who’s your aquatic hero?

Is there someone from your town or region that has made a difference in making things safer in the water?

Perhaps you know someone who has taught generations of kids and adults to swim. Or maybe you know a young swimmer who saved a life by either performing a rescue or preventing an accident. Is there someone in your life that constantly encourages kids and parents to learn how to swim or spreads the message of water safety? Do you know an adult who for years was fearful of the water but finally got the courage to take the plunge? Do you have a friend or relative who, as a community leader, courageously and selflessly works to promote water safety or who has made a positive impact in the swimming world?

If so, we want to know.

To help support an upcoming program, USA Swimming wants you to tell us about your local hero. Your hero can be adult or child, competitive swimmer or not.

Please share with us your local hero. [link: mail to mfarrell@usaswimming.org].

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Here are two outstanding learn-to-swim clinics that we want USA Swimming members to be aware of.” We hope that all members understand the importance and value of USA Swimming teams running a learn-to-swim program.

 

Attention: Programs or workshops for Learn to Swim

(1) Swim America offers:

Swim School Owners Business

Conference.  It will be held in beautiful

Ft. Lauderdale Beach, FL on November 3rd & 4th.

 

You don’t want to miss our great lineup of speakers

for this event.  Jim Hazen, Founder and President of

Saf-T-Swim, Tiffany Yip, Founder and Director of

Dolphin Swimming, Robert Strauss, Founder of The

Swim Gym Swim School and Pat Toner, Found and

Owner of Pat Toner’s H2O Kids.

 

 We will accept limited registrations so register NOW!

You can call our toll free number, 1-800-356-2722 or

Email me at jnitti@swimamerica.org.  The registration

fee is only $149.00.  For your convenience we accept

Visa, MasterCard and American Express.

 

 

 

(2) Visit the website of www.starfishaquatics.org  to learn more about the Regional Starfish Symposia.

Roundtable discussions are on current issues in aquatic management, facility design, risk management and innovative programming.

Symposia Dates:

(1)               St. Louis, MO … November 10th, 2006

(2)              Baltimore, MD…January 5, 2007

(3)              Ft.Myers/Cape Coral, FL. February 23, 2007

(4)              Chicago, IL. …March 23, 2007

 

 

Sue Nelson

Aquatic Program Specialist

USA Swimming

1 Olympic Plaza

Colorado Springs, Co. 80909

Office - 719-866-3594

Cell - 719-238-1561

 

"Program Proceeds Design"

"Information-Education-Collaboration"

 

Mark your Calendar for next year's Build -a- Pool Conference - April 12 - 13 -  14, 2007

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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/07/sports/othersports/07madison.html?pagewanted=1&th&emc=th


 James Madison University has decided to cut the Men's Swim and Dive Team from the University.  The coaches, parents and athletes are looking to get as many people as they can to support them by contacting the University and letting them know they support Men's swimming.  The university from what I understand is hiding behind title IV in order to enhance the Football team into Div IA instead of Div IAAA.

I have been a member of the PVS Swim club for over nine years and both of my children were recruited to college for swimming.  My son being a freshman this year has just been told that he will no longer be able to swim at JMU.

There is a more detailed article regarding the situation at collegeswimming.com. 

We are looking for as much support as we can and I was wondering if PVS could send a letter to the administration to tell them as much?   The President of JMU is Lindwood H. Rose and his email address is President@jmu.edu and the Athletic Director is Jeff Bourne and his email is  bournejt@jmu.edu.

This affects all the swimmers yet to come that want to swim at college, if they win this one they will not stop at other universities either. 

Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. 
Thanks Again
Jackie Parker

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USOC Scolds JMU For Cuts

Posted 2006-10-12

 

By Dustin Dopirak

 

HARRISONBURG — The USOC is not happy with James Madison University.

Upset that JMU cut 10 sports two weeks ago, the United States Olympic Committee has written a letter to the school scolding Madison for its decision and asking it to reconsider.

"Your decision damages the hopes and dreams of the next generation of athletes who aspire to one day represent our country in the Olympic Games," the USOC letter – signed by chief executive officer James E. Scherr and others – stated.

The letter, addressed to JMU President Linwood Rose and athletics director Jeff Bourne, was dated Tuesday and posted on the USA Archery Web site.

USOC spokesman Darryl Siebel confirmed that the organization "is sending" the letter to Madison.

"We were very disappointed by the decision that James Madison University made," Siebel said. "We felt compelled to send a letter to the administration of James Madison, expressing not only our concern, but our encouragement to reconsider its decision. Every one of the sports that was dropped or going to be dropped has a connection to the Olympic program. The intent of Title IX was not to jeopardize Olympic sports at colleges and universities."

JMU cited its need to comply with Title IX, the federal gender-equity law, as the primary reason for cutting the sports. Under the law, the number of athletes at schools must be proportional to the student body. At Madison, 61 percent of the students are women – meaning that 61 percent of the athletes should be women to comply with Title IX.

The cuts – which take effect in July – will bring JMU in line with the law.

James Madison spokesman Andy Perrine said that neither Rose nor Bourne had received the letter as of Wednesday.

"The university really doesn’t have a reaction yet," he said. "But I’m sure we will once we see it."

Bourne confirmed Wednesday that he had not received the letter.

"I have not seen it," he said. "… I don’t want to comment on it until I see what’s in it."

What’s in it is the USOC’s plea for Madison to keep men’s archery, cross country, gymnastics, indoor track, outdoor track, swimming and wrestling, as well as women’s archery, fencing and gymnastics – all Olympic sports

In the letter, the USOC credits JMU for building a large athletic program, but criticizes it for the cuts.

"James Madison University has a long and honorable tradition of supporting a diverse range of intercollegiate athletic opportunities for its student body," the USOC said. "We have seen universities across the nation inappropriately use Title IX as an excuse to justify the elimination of sport programs, and far too often the programs dropped are Olympic sports. In a society that is faced with critical challenges such as character development, alarming rates of obesity and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle among America’s youth, should we not be looking for ways to increase sport activity, rather than curtailing it?

"Your decision may allow James Madison University to get closer to its proportionality goals, but it does great harm to the hundreds of student-athletes who currently represent your university so proudly as they participate in these sports."

JMU has produced three Olympians in its history. Juli Henner was on the 1996 U.S. Olympic team as a 1,500-meter runner, and Tiombe Hurd made the 2004 squad in the triple jump. Dez Wynter ran the 400 meters for the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1988. Wynter was the only one who competed in a sport that was cut — men’s track.

Still, Siebel said, the USOC fights for its sports regardless of whether Olympic-caliber athletes are involved.

"It takes thousands of athletes for one to advance to the level of being an Olympian," he said. "And besides that, our mission as an Olympic family is broader than just seeing an athlete make it to the Olympic team. We have a responsibility to protect and preserve Olympic sport because of the tremendous benefits of participation in Olympic sports — health fitness, wellness and the promotion of values you derive from competition. All of those attributes are implicit with participating in a sport program."

Siebel struggled, though, with the question of the USOC’s position on Title IX and exactly how schools that are out of compliance should handle the situation.

"That’s a difficult question and you have to consider the situation and circumstance," he said. "…The fundamental principle of the law is something we support 100 percent. How you get there is an issue for each university. We don’t believe the path to achieving that is to cut Olympic sports."

Scherr could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

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The material in this e-mail is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement with respect to any company or product. One of the objectives of the USA Swimming Coach’s Blast e-mails is to make coaches aware of potential resources available.

 

Peter C Clark

Sport Development Consultant

Eastern Zone

719-866-3561 (direct office)

719-330-0743 (cell)

719-866-4669 (Fax)