USA SWIMMING TAKES A LOOK AT THE YEAR IN REVIEW

12/7/2010

As 2010 draws to a close, we take a moment to reflect on the accomplishments of USA Swimming and its athletes, both in and out of the pool.

• In the pool, 2010 saw a dominant performance by the U.S. National Team at the year’s biggest international event, the Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships. Team USA topped the medal count with a total of 51 medals (27 gold, 17 silver and seven bronze) and broke 23 meet records. The U.S. team’s performance dwarfed the competition with second place Australia finishing with 26 medals. Open water swimmers claimed two World Championships in 2010, with Alex Meyer earning the title in the 25K and Eva Fabian ruling the world in the 5K. The late Fran Crippen added to the medal haul winning bronze in the 5K. USA Swimming’s young talent also got in on the medal game with the U.S. team earning the team trophy with its stellar performance at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Maui, Hawaii.
• Out of the pool, 2010 saw major successes for USA Swimming as well. The year saw the addition of two corporate partners – Marriott and BMW – bringing the corporate partner roster to 10 national partners, the highest amount of corporate partner revenue in the National Governing Body’s history. On the charitable front, more than a 600,000 children took a swimming lesson through the USA Swimming Foundation’s continually expanding Make a Splash initiative. The initiative, which aims to provide the opportunity for every child to learn to swim, now counts 313 local partner programs providing swim lessons or water safety education in 43 states. Swim fans also enjoyed some of the success of 2010 as NBC broadcast the ConocoPhillips National Championships and the Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships, bringing the year’s most exciting events to millions of homes. 

USA Swimming thanks you for your support and membership in our organization. From the dedicated athletes and committed coaches to the tireless volunteers and devoted parents, our 300,000 members make us who we are, and as we say goodbye to 2010, we look forward to continuing to grow with you in the pre-Olympic year of 2011.
 
Below we take a monthly look at 2010, from its successes and challenges to its tears and triumphs.
 
January

• CereVe begins its term as the Exclusive Skin Care Sponsor of USA Swimming. 

February

• Our winter sport teammates excel in Vancouver, winning 37 medals (nine gold, 15 silver and 13 bronze).

March

• Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Soni is nominated for the 2009 Sullivan Award, presented to the top amateur athlete in the United States.

April

• USA Swimming and Universal Sports announce a three-year broadcast deal that allows for more television coverage for the sport of swimming. Four events of the USA Swimming Grand Prix Series will be broadcast each year on Universal Sports.

May

• The new usaswimming.org website launches. The website features a revamped design, improved navigation and video capability.
• The USA Swimming Board of Directors implements a series of landmark measures that support the organization's 7-Point Action Plan for a Safe & Positive Environment in the sport of swimming.
• The USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash initiative celebrates a milestone as more than 300,000 children take a swim lesson through the effort.
• The 2010 Make a Splash tour with Cullen Jones presented by ConocoPhillips kicks off in Omaha, Nebraska.  Chicago, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Shreveport and New York City are also tour stops in 2010.
• USA Swimming’s releases its 2010 study with the University of Memphis, finding that approximately 70% of African American Children and 58% of Hispanic children cannot swim. The shocking statistics are reported in hundreds of media outlets, such as the Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal, thrusting the important issue into the national consciousness.  

 June

• USA Swimming Partners with Child Welfare League of America, engaging independent experts in its efforts to foster the safest possible environment for all members.

July

• U.S. swimmers turn in a strong performance at the 2010 Open Water World Championships in Roberval, Quebec. Eva Fabian wins the women’s 5K race, Alex Meyer earns the top spot in the men’s 25K race and Fran Crippen wins bronze in the men’s 5K.
• BMW becomes the Official Mobility Partner of USA Swimming as part of a six-year agreement.
• Chloe Sutton earns $20,000 as the winner of the 2009-2010 USA Swimming Grand Prix Series.
• USA Swimming hosts the ConocoPhillips National Championships in Irvine, Calif. Three and a half hours of competition footage of the meet air nationally on NBC.
• Marriott International dives in as the official hotel sponsor of USA Swimming, offering a dedicated travel portal for USA Swimming Clubs.

August

• USA Swimming hosts the 2010 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships, which is held on U.S. soil only once every 16 years and included 340 swimmers from 22 nations.
• The U.S. team at Pan Pacs topped the medal count with a total of 51 medals (27 gold, 17 silver and seven bronze) and broke 23 meet records.
• USA Swimming hosts the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Maui, Hawaii.
• Eight U.S. swimmers compete at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.
• The USA Swimming Splash Bash program sees an increase of clubs hosting watch parties to support the U.S. Team at Pan Pacs with 387 clubs participating in 2010. Party attendance is estimated at 22,000 people.
• USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash initiative is discussed in a feature story in Sports Illustrated.
• USA Swimming launches its “America’s Swim Team” campaign featuring a TV commercial and on-site displays at the ConocoPhillips National Championships. www.americasswimteam.com. 

September

• Bruce Stratton is elected as the new President of USA Swimming.
• The USA Swimming House of Delegates implements measures to augment USA Swimming’s athlete protection efforts, including new policies and guidelines for clubs, updated background screen program and created a new Athlete Protection Committee and a new Athlete Protection Officer.
• Susan Woessner is named Athlete Protection Officer, a new position at USA Swimming.
• The USA Swimming Foundation celebrates a victory for learn-to-swim as more than 500,000 children take a lesson through the initiative and its partners.
• The Make a Splash initiative is awarded the USOC’s prestigious Rings of Gold Award.
• USA Swimming’s Facebook Fan Page reached 20,000 followers.
• Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones and Make a Splash are featured in an episode of HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.”

October

• National team swimmer Fran Crippen dies tragically in a FINA 10K World Cup race in the United Arab Emirates. Fran was a talented swimmer and a tremendous person, and the swimming community mourns the loss of a true champion.
• A USA Swimming study with an independent marketing research firm shows that the USA Swimming brand improved or stayed consistent in all categories that measure how members perceive corporate partner involvement in the sport.
• USA Swimming partners with Team Unify, a provider of team management services, in an effort to work together to provide quality business tools, communications and education to swim clubs across the nation.
• USA Swimming partners with Active.com to build a database of learn to swim providers to expand opportunities for parents to find swimming lessons.

November

• The television schedule for 2011 is announced. Universal Sports will broadcast four USA Swimming Grand Prix events.
• Debbie Hesse joins USA Swimming as the Executive Director of the USA Swimming Foundation.
• USA Swimming’s Past Presidents and athlete representative, Trent Staley, are named to the new USA Swimming Foundation Board of Directors. Bill Maxson is selected as Board President.
• USA Swimming Board of Directors approves the Athlete Partnership Plan, an opportunity for National Team athletes to earn additional funding in exchange for committing to train for 2012 and “give back” to the sport and swimming community.
• USA Swimming creates a five-person open water review commission, led by Former IOC Vice President Richard Pound, to conduct an independent investigation into the tragic death of Open Water athlete Fran Crippen.
  The USA Swimming Foundation’s hosts the 7th annual Golden Goggle Awards in New York. The event is one of the most successful fundraising events for the Foundation to date.
• Ryan Lochte and Rebecca Soni selected as USA Swimming’s Male and Female Athletes of the Year.

December

In 2010, visits to swimnetworkcom experience a 20% growth and webcasts grow from 10 in 2009 to 20 events.

USA Swimming launches its first-ever digital new member kit www.usaswimming.org/memberkit.

USA Swimming implements a search and selection process initiated for new National Team Director.

Top U.S. swimmers, including over 15 Olympians, are set to compete at the 2010 FINA Short Course World Championships Dubai, UAE, December 15-19.