Olympian Cullen Jones talks about his quest for success in swimming and teaching others to swim as well.
Tampilkan postingan dengan label USA Swimming. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label USA Swimming. Tampilkan semua postingan
Minggu, 02 September 2012
Selasa, 24 Juli 2012
Selasa, 17 Juli 2012
#BlackFolkSwimFast: Cullen Jones and Lia Neal Are Headed to London
Two young Olympians are poised to change "what they say" about African-Americans and swimming
#BlackFolkSwimFast:
Cullen Jones and Lia Neal Are Headed to London
by Mark Anthony Neal | Ebony.com
Swimming has been both a source of humor and trepidation within Black communities. While the high drowning rates of Black youth are reaching epidemic proportions, according to Talia Mark of USA Swimming, the other-side of the spectrum finds punchlines associated with the disbelief that Black folk, do in fact swim. This disbelief was brilliantly illustrated in the second season premiere of the web series Black Folk Don’t. Yet between the tragedy and the guffaws, are two swimmers—one, an American record holder in the 50 Meter Freestyle and the other a 17-year-old teenager from Brooklyn—who not only swim, but swim fast enough to represent the United States in the upcoming London Olympics.
For Cullen Jones, earning a berth on the 2012 United State Olympic Team, is déjà vu; Jones won a Gold Medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing for his role on the 4x100 Freestyle relay that also included Michael Phelps. 2012 represents a different scenario for Jones as his first place finish in the 50m Freestyle and second place finish in the 100m Freestyle at the Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska offer his first chances to win a medal in an individual event at the Olympics. Anthony Ervin, who was the first American swimmer of African descent (he is part Jewish, Native American and Black) to win a Gold Medal in Swimming in 2000, also made the Olympic team finishing second in the 50m Freestyle.
Senin, 16 Juli 2012
USA Swimming Partners with Sigma Gamma Rho to Encourage Participation in the Sport of Swimming
USA Swimming Partners with Sigma Gamma Rho to Encourage Participation in the Sport of Swimming
NEW ORLEANS, LA, July 16, 2012 – On Saturday, July 14, at Sigma Gamma Rho’s biennial Boule celebration in New Orleans, La., USA Swimming representatives announced its new partnership with the historically black sorority. The effort is part of USA Swimming’s SwimToday campaign, a national recruiting effort aimed at arming parents with the information and resources they need to get their children involved in the sport for its health and safety benefits.
A first of its kind for both Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and USA Swimming, this partnership will accomplish the following:
1) Make water safety education and learn to swim programs a part of the sorority’s mandatory member curriculum and community service outreach beginning this fall.
2) Provide an easy entry into the sport of swimming through the sorority’s more than 100,000 members and 500 chapters across the United States.
3) Make water safety a mandatory part of their Rhoer Curriculum as well as part of their youth symposium and Project Reassurance teachings.
Under the terms of the newfound partnership, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. will function as an extension of USA Swimming’s online SwimToday.org platform, which provides the tools, resources and information that individuals of all ages need to learn to swim, find a learn to swim or competitive swim program, meet their fitness goals and be active in the sport. Visit www.swimtoday.org to view these resources.
“Our new partnership with USA Swimming is a perfect fit within Sigma Gamma Rho’s ongoing efforts to safeguard our youth through our Project Reassurance umbrella theme of Healthy Choices, Healthy Living, Healthy Generations,” says Joann Loveless, International President of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. “Research shows that youth who participate in sports experience a multitude of benefits such as: an increase in discipline, lower teenage pregnancy rates, better grades and higher self-esteem. This collaboration with USA Swimming provides our sisterhood the opportunity to promote these ideals within the local communities of each of our chapters through water safety education and childhood swimming lessons.”
By providing Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. chapters with resources and support to aid in educating its members on a local, regional and national level, USA Swimming hopes to educate the Sigma Gamma Rho community on the benefits of and opportunities available within the sport of swimming. This fall, USA Swimming and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. will also develop a sorority-specific call-to-action initiative that will focus on highlighting water safety on the grassroots level within their chapters’ communities.
“Partnering with Sigma Gamma Rho offers us the opportunity to reach thousands of families across the nation, and to provide them with a simple entry point into the sport of swimming.” said Matt Farrell, USA Swimming’s Chief Marketing Officer. “By empowering individuals with the resources they need to get their kids started in the sport, we are, helping keep kids safer around the water while opening the door to a beneficial and life-long fitness activity. With all eyes on the pool in London, we also hope that partnerships like this one will help diversify our sport, and increase participation by a historically underrepresented group.”
2012 marks a historic year for USA Swimming as the U.S. Team has never had more than a single team member of African-American descent and none before the 2000 Sydney Games. This year’s London-bound Olympians of African-American descent include veterans Cullen Jones and Anthony Ervin who are returning gold medalists from 2008 and 2000, respectively, and newcomer Lia Neal who, at 17, is the second African-American woman to ever make a U.S. Olympic Swim Team and the first since Olympic Silver Medalist Maritza Correia in 2004. Lia Neal, who is also half Chinese-American, joins a winning legacy of Asian-American women Olympic swimmers like Evelyn Kawamoto (two-time bronze medalist at 1952 Helsinki games), Catherine Fox (two-time gold medalist at 1996 Atlanta games), and Natalie Coughlin, who is returning to London for her third Olympics and is an 11-time Olympic medalist. Nathan Adrian, who is Chinese-American, will also swim for the U.S. again in London having already claimed Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008.
“With the ever-increasing diversity of the sport on the world stage, it is of the utmost importance for USA Swimming to play a proactive role in helping kids become safer around the water as well as to provide opportunities for them to excel both as a team and as individuals,” said Talia Mark, Multicultural Marketing Manager for USA Swimming. “With all eyes on the pool in London, we hope to inspire kids of all backgrounds to get involved in the sport, this is where we believe Sigma Gamma Rho’s expertise in community outreach can play an integral role.”
Throughout 2012 and beyond, USA Swimming looks to continue to expand the reach of the important message of water safety education and learn to swim programs, as well as the benefits of swimming for health and fitness, and increase the accessibility of competitive swimming programs through its SwimToday.org campaign and partnerships like this one with Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
For more information about getting involved with USA Swimming, to learn to swim, to join a competitive swim team or to swim for health and fitness, please visit http://www.swimtoday.org.
*= Approximately 10 people drown every day in the U.S., and more than one in five fatal drowning victims are children younger than 14, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Furthermore, 60-70 percent of the U.S.’s African-American and Hispanic children cannot swim, and African-American children drown at a rate nearly three times higher than that of their Caucasian peers. Of children who come from a non-swimming household, only 13 percent of them will ever learn to swim, according to a national research study by the USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis. Drowning is also a silent killer as most young children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home, had been out of sight less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or both parents at the time, according to the Present P. Child Drowning study.
About USA Swimming
As the National Governing Body for the sport of swimming in the United States, USA Swimming is a 300,000-member service organization that promotes the culture of swimming by creating opportunities for swimmers and coaches of all backgrounds to participate and advance in the sport through clubs, events and education. Our membership is comprised of swimmers from the age group level to the Olympic Team, as well as coaches and volunteers. USA Swimming is responsible for selecting and training teams for international competition including the Olympic Games, and strives to serve the sport through its core objectives: Build the base, Promote the sport, Achieve competitive success. For more information, visit http://www.usaswimming.org.
About Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. was founded on November 12, 1922 on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana by seven schoolteachers. The sorority’s aim is to enhance the quality of life in the community. Public service, leadership development and education of youth are the hallmark of the organization’s programs and activities. To learn more about Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and its service initiatives, log onto http://www.sgrho1922.org.
# # #
Press Contacts:
Charlie Guadano | Simone Smalls PR, Inc.
917.388.3890 | Charlie@simonesmallspr.com
Simone Smalls | Simone Smalls PR, Inc.
917.388.3890 | Simone@simonesmallspr.com
Rabu, 13 Juni 2012
Left of Black Summer Edition Vol. 1 | “What About My Hair?” and Other Tales of “Swimming While Black”
Left of Black Summer Edition Vol. 1 | June 14, 2012
“What About My Hair?” and Other Tales of “Swimming While Black”
In this special summer edition of Left of Black, host and Duke University Professor Mark Anthony Neal is joined via Skype by TaliaMark, Manager of Multicultural Marketing for USA Swimming and former manager of diversity affairs for NASCAR. Neal and Mark discuss the epidemic-like levels of drowning rates among Black and Latino/a youth, hair-care issues associated with Black female swimmers, and the success of Olympic Gold Medalist Cullen Jones and 17-year-old Lia Neal.
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Left of Black is a weekly Webcast hosted by Mark Anthony Neal and produced in collaboration with the John Hope Franklin Center at Duke University.
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Episodes of Left of Black are also available for free download in HD @ iTunes U
Kamis, 08 Maret 2012
Olympic Gold Medalist Cullen Jones Launches 2012 Make A Splash Tour
For Immediate Release
ConocoPhillips and USA Swimming Foundation Bring Olympic Gold Medalist Cullen Jones to Houston to Kick Off Water Safety Tour, Educate Kids About Learning to Swim
HOUSTON, Feb. 29, 2012 -- Just in time for spring break, ConocoPhillips and the USA Swimming Foundation will bring Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer, Cullen Jones, to Houston to raise awareness about the importance of learning to swim. The event, scheduled for March 7, marks the kickoff of the 2012 Make a Splash Tour with Cullen Jones presented by ConocoPhillips, a six-city national water safety tour designed to educate parents, kids and communities about the importance of learning to swim.
"Every child in America needs to learn how to swim. It is a critical skill that can determine the difference between life and death in a matter of seconds," said Jones, the first African-American male to hold a world record in swimming. "Drowning is an epidemic, but it's an epidemic with a cure. That is why I am so proud to be working with ConocoPhillips and the USASwimming Foundation to educate parents, children and caregivers about the learn-to-swim resources available in their communities. By raising awareness and providing the opportunity for more kids to learn to swim, we are saving lives."
Olympian Comes to Town
In Houston, Jones will lead a youth rally with approximately 320 children at Buffalo Creek Elementary School. He will share his personal story about nearly drowning when he was five and discuss the impact the sport has had on his life, including his Olympic journey. Additionally, all first and second graders of Buffalo Creek Elementary will receive a full session of free swimming lessons at Clay Road Family YMCA, courtesy of the USA Swimming Foundation and ConocoPhillips. The Houston tour stop will also include a semi-private swim lesson for several local kids at Clay Road Family YMCA.
 |
| w/ Duane Brown of the Houston Texans |
"The USA Swimming Foundation is dedicated to saving lives and building champions, and by raising awareness about the importance of learning to swim and providing the opportunity for kids to take lessons, we are absolutely saving lives," said Debbie Hesse, executive director of the USA Swimming Foundation. "To date, more than 1.1 million kids have taken lessons through our Make a Splash initiative, and we've reached millions of parents with the message of learn-to-swim. We are grateful to ConocoPhillips, who has made such a difference nationally and in Houstonspecifically, and to Cullen Jones for his passion in spreading this important message."
ConocoPhillips has partnered with USA Swimming for 39 years, and the Make a Splash Tour is a natural extension of the company's comprehensive commitment to safety. "Our annual support of the Make a Splash Tour embodies the company's focus on safety by reaching out to parents across the nation to build awareness of this important safety issue, and by giving thousands of children the opportunity to learn a valuable life-saving skill," said Kristi DesJarlais, manager, Corporate Brand and Community Investment, ConocoPhillips.
Sobering Drowning Statistics
Approximately 10 people drown every day in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and more than one in five fatal drowning victims are children younger than 14. Drowning is also a silent killer—most young children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home, had been out of sight less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or both parents at the time, according to the Present P. Child Drowning study.
Furthermore, 60-70 percent of African-American and Hispanic children cannot swim, and only 13 percent of kids who come from a non-swimming household will ever learn to swim, according to a national research study by the USASwimming Foundation and the University of Memphis. African-American children drown at a rate nearly three times higher than their Caucasian peers, the CDC reports.
In 2012, Jones will visit a total of six cities to promote the availability of free or discounted swimming lessons or water safety education, providing kids access to life-saving swimming skills, regardless of their ethnic or economic background.
About the USA Swimming Foundation
The USA Swimming Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of USA Swimming. Established in 2004, the Foundation works to strengthen the sport by saving lives and building champions— in the pool and in life. Whether we're equipping our children with the life-saving skill of learn-to-swim, or providing financial support to our heroes on the U.S. National Team, the USA Swimming Foundation aims to provide the wonderful experience of swimming to kids at all levels across the country. The Foundation also serves as the home for our National and Olympic Team Alumni reunions and regional events. The development efforts of the USASwimming Foundation aim to establish an endowment to strengthen the future of USA Swimming's programs and services. To learn more, visit www.usaswimmingfoundation.org.
About ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips is an integrated energy company with interests around the world. Headquartered in Houston, the company had approximately 29,800 employees, $153 billion of assets, and $245 billion of revenues as of Dec. 31, 2011. For more information, go to www.conocophillips.com.
Since 1973, the company's contributions have supported the USASwimming community through the National Championships and other international competitions, publication of club development materials, and other areas.
About Make a Splash
Make a Splash is the national child-focused water safety initiative of the USA Swimming Foundation. Through its 487 local partner programs, Make a Splash offers free or discounted swimming lessons or water safety education in 47 states. To find a local partner, visit www.makeasplash.org.
About Cullen Jones
Cullen Jones is one of the fastest freestyle sprinters in the world today and currently holds the American record in the 50 freestyle. At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, he was a member of the electrifying 400m freestyle relay team that broke the world record and won Olympic gold in one of the most memorable races in history. With the victory, Cullen became the second African-American to win an Olympic swimming gold medal. He is currently training for the 2012 Olympic Games and trains under coach David Marsh at SwimMAC in Charlotte, N.C.
# # #
Press Contacts:
Charlie Guadano | Simone Smalls PR, Inc.
917.388.3890 | Charlie@simonesmallspr.com
Simone Smalls | Simone Smalls PR, Inc.
917.388.3890 | Simone@simonesmallspr.com
Selasa, 02 November 2010
Olympic Gold Medalist Swimmer Cullen Jones Visits Site of Swimming Tragedy
USA SWIMMING FOUNDATION AND OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST CULLEN JONES TO VISIT SHREVEPORT, LA ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10
Shreveport visit is part of “Make a Splash with Cullen Jones,” a six-city event series designed to raise awareness about the importance of learning to swim
Colorado Springs, CO, November 2, 2010 – Following the tragic drowning deaths of six teenagers this summer in Shreveport, LA, Cullen Jones and the USA Swimming Foundation will visit the community on Wednesday, November 10 to advocate for water safety education, raise awareness about the importance of learning to swim, and help develop life-saving learn to swim programs in the region.
The USA Swimming Foundation and Cullen Jones have been traveling the country for two years as part of a nationwide water safety campaign, “Make a Splash with Cullen Jones.” The series of events is sponsored by ConocoPhillips and works to educate children, families and community leaders on the importance of learning to swim. The Make a Splash initiative, through its nearly 300 local partner programs, offers free or low cost swimming lessons in hundreds of cities across the country.
In Shreveport, Cullen will talk with the local community about life-saving learn to swim programs, his personal story of near-drowning and what it took for him to later become an Olympic champion. He will also speak directly to hundreds of children at a youth assembly and then give a swim lesson as part of the team’s efforts to shine a light on water safety.
Drowning continues to be a major problem in the U.S, especially among minority youth. According to a recent study* by USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis, 70% (seven out of ten) of African American children and 58% of Hispanic children report low to no swimming ability, putting them at an increased risk of drowning. The number one factor impacting a child’s ability to swim was reported as fear.
As a near victim of drowning at the age of five and now an Olympic gold medalist swimmer, Cullen Jones is a passionate spokesperson on these issues. His efforts, along with USA Swimming Foundation and ConocoPhillips, have resulted in major growth for Make a Splash since its inception in 2007. So far, there have been 563,000 enrollments in lessons at 285 Make a Splash local partner programs in 43 states. In addition, nearly 22,500 children have received lessons thanks to scholarships. The USA Swimming Foundation was also able to present $50,000 in total grant dollars to a variety of swim programs in 2009 and $100,000 in total grant dollars in 2010.
“Make a Splash with Cullen Jones” will make its last stop this year in New York on Friday, November 19.
About Make a Splash
Make a Splash is a national child-focused anti-drowning initiative created by The USA Swimming Foundation, which operates by aligning the nation’s top learn-to-swim resources in an effort to save lives. Make a Splash educates parents through a national awareness campaign, saves lives by joining forces with grassroots learn-to-swim programs and reaches thousands of children across the country. The program exists because nine people drown each day in the U.S., and in ethnically-diverse communities the youth drowning rate is 2-3 times higher. For more information, visit makeasplash.org.
About the USA Swimming Foundation
The USA Swimming Foundation was established in 2004 with the purpose of using the sport of swimming to improve lives and make communities stronger. The Foundation focuses its resources in three main areas: making children safer in and around the water to reduce drowning; encouraging diversity in the sport of swimming; and using swimming to promote a healthy lifestyle to combat issues such as childhood obesity. The USA Swimming Foundation is the premier charitable organization that supports the sport of swimming in the United States from grassroots to gold medals and is recognized as a national leadership organization for promoting water safety. It is the Foundation’s ongoing goal to teach every child in America how to swim. To help, to donate or for information: www.swimfoundation.org.
Shreveport visit is part of “Make a Splash with Cullen Jones,” a six-city event series designed to raise awareness about the importance of learning to swim
Colorado Springs, CO, November 2, 2010 – Following the tragic drowning deaths of six teenagers this summer in Shreveport, LA, Cullen Jones and the USA Swimming Foundation will visit the community on Wednesday, November 10 to advocate for water safety education, raise awareness about the importance of learning to swim, and help develop life-saving learn to swim programs in the region.
The USA Swimming Foundation and Cullen Jones have been traveling the country for two years as part of a nationwide water safety campaign, “Make a Splash with Cullen Jones.” The series of events is sponsored by ConocoPhillips and works to educate children, families and community leaders on the importance of learning to swim. The Make a Splash initiative, through its nearly 300 local partner programs, offers free or low cost swimming lessons in hundreds of cities across the country.
In Shreveport, Cullen will talk with the local community about life-saving learn to swim programs, his personal story of near-drowning and what it took for him to later become an Olympic champion. He will also speak directly to hundreds of children at a youth assembly and then give a swim lesson as part of the team’s efforts to shine a light on water safety.
Drowning continues to be a major problem in the U.S, especially among minority youth. According to a recent study* by USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis, 70% (seven out of ten) of African American children and 58% of Hispanic children report low to no swimming ability, putting them at an increased risk of drowning. The number one factor impacting a child’s ability to swim was reported as fear.
As a near victim of drowning at the age of five and now an Olympic gold medalist swimmer, Cullen Jones is a passionate spokesperson on these issues. His efforts, along with USA Swimming Foundation and ConocoPhillips, have resulted in major growth for Make a Splash since its inception in 2007. So far, there have been 563,000 enrollments in lessons at 285 Make a Splash local partner programs in 43 states. In addition, nearly 22,500 children have received lessons thanks to scholarships. The USA Swimming Foundation was also able to present $50,000 in total grant dollars to a variety of swim programs in 2009 and $100,000 in total grant dollars in 2010.
“Make a Splash with Cullen Jones” will make its last stop this year in New York on Friday, November 19.
About Make a Splash
Make a Splash is a national child-focused anti-drowning initiative created by The USA Swimming Foundation, which operates by aligning the nation’s top learn-to-swim resources in an effort to save lives. Make a Splash educates parents through a national awareness campaign, saves lives by joining forces with grassroots learn-to-swim programs and reaches thousands of children across the country. The program exists because nine people drown each day in the U.S., and in ethnically-diverse communities the youth drowning rate is 2-3 times higher. For more information, visit makeasplash.org.
About the USA Swimming Foundation
The USA Swimming Foundation was established in 2004 with the purpose of using the sport of swimming to improve lives and make communities stronger. The Foundation focuses its resources in three main areas: making children safer in and around the water to reduce drowning; encouraging diversity in the sport of swimming; and using swimming to promote a healthy lifestyle to combat issues such as childhood obesity. The USA Swimming Foundation is the premier charitable organization that supports the sport of swimming in the United States from grassroots to gold medals and is recognized as a national leadership organization for promoting water safety. It is the Foundation’s ongoing goal to teach every child in America how to swim. To help, to donate or for information: www.swimfoundation.org.
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