NATIONAL DIVERSITY SELECT CAMP (posted January 23, 2023)
 
To:  Gulf Coaches
Fr:  Mark Martinez (Gulf DEI Chair)
 
The annual National diversity select camp is coming up. Please see the criteria below. Information will also be posted on the gulf website.  The deadline to apply is Friday, February 10th, 2023 by 5 PM Mountain time. Athletes who are selected will be notified by March 3rd, 2023. 
 
The camp will be held at the OTC in colorado springs May 4th-7th 2023. 
 
Qualifying period: September 1, 2021, through August 31st, 2022 ONLY LCM times will be considered. 
 
Who is eligible: Athletes 14-16-year-olds. Age is as of the first day of camp on May 4, 2023. 
 
Qualification Standards:
 
Athletes  must have achieved at least one National 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 USA Swimming sanction or approved meets. (able to be proven in swims database).
 
Selection Criteria:
 
28 athletes from each competition category. 
 
Athletes must represent an underrepresented community and/or an ethnically underrepresented population that is less than 10% of the current USA Swimming Membership. These populations can include African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian or Pacific Islander, Native American, and others. Other athletes may be accepted if they represent another underrepresented demographic (e.g. LGTBQ+).
 
14 athletes will be selected from each competition category based on 2022 LCM IMX point scores.  Then the fastest applicant in each event will be invited.  ONLY LCM times will be accepted. 
 
3 additional athletes from each competition category may be selected based on outstanding performance in one or more events. 5 additional athletes may be selected based on Outreach membership status. 
 
Note: Athletes who have been to any National Select Camps, National Teams/National Jr teams, or USA swimming international trips, including 2020, 2021, and/or 2022 National Junior team  will not be eligible for the National Diversity Select camp. Athletes cannot attend the Zone select camp & National Diversity select camp in the same year. Athletes must be premium members of USA Swimming. Flex members must upgrade their membership. 
 
 
REGISTER HERE
 
 
We encourage you to find those athletes in your clubs that deserve to attend and have them submit an application. 
 

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OUTREACH & DIVERSITY

Gulf Swimming, one of 59 LSCs (Local Swimming Committees) in USA Swimming provides several benefits to registered members of the Outreach Program in the Gulf:

  • Reduced annual USA Swimming registration fees
  • Reimbursement of the Gulf Swimming approved individual meet entry fees

These benefits are made possible for you through fees collected by Gulf Swimming. We are continually looking for additional ways to assist swimmers with their desire to swim. You can reach our Outreach Coordinator:

Loren Fischbach
1415 South Voss Road
Suite 110-355
Houston, Texas 77057
[email protected]

Reimbursement Form

Outreach athlete reimbursements are due within 30 days of the season ending. Short course ends March 31st. Long course ends August 31st.

Outreach Reimbursement Policy

Policy

  1. Enrollment: Gulf Swimming will use a 3-step tier for enrollment in the splash fee reimbursement program as follows:
    1. Verified enrollment in the Federal Food Stamp Program, SNAP or the Medicaid Medical Card. OR
    2. School Lunch enrollment card/letter accompanied by Pages 1&2 of their Federal Income Tax Return (Form 1040, or 1040A or EZ (Social Security redacted) required for proof of income and family size. If married, filing separately, both spouses returns must be submitted. OR
    3. All others: You must be a resident of the state of Texas and a parent or primary caregiver responsible for a child(ren) who attends school (high school or under). And you must have an annual household income (before taxes) that is below the income guidelines per the current Texas amounts for household size as shown in d. below. Proof of income and family size will be by submitting Pages 1 & 2 of FIT Return (Social Security Number(s) redacted). If married, filing separately, both spouses returns must be submitted.
    4. General Program Requirements

      In order to qualify, you must have an annual household income (before taxes) that is below the following amounts for the 2022-2023 School Year

      Household Size Total Annual Income
      1 $17,667
      2 $23,803
      3 $29,939
      4 $36,075
      5 $42,211
      6 $48,347
      7 $54,483
      8 $60,619

      For each additional family member, add $6,136.

  2. The reimbursement will be for only one meet per month except for the Gulf Championship series which will extend to two meets for that month to allow those swimmers who qualify for the higher level LSC meet to compete.
  3. The reimbursement will be limited to Gulf Swimming Sanctioned meets at the Gulf Approved entry fee amount for the level of the meet, Open or Championship, for Gulf Sponsored meets.
     
    Team Invitational or Open meets not on the current Gulf assigned meet schedule will be reimbursed at the Gulf Approved entry fee amounts only if there is a Gulf Swimming Sanctioned meet during the same month.
  4. When there are no Gulf Sponsored meets in a month for which the Swimmer is qualified for, either an Open, Senior or Sprint meet, Gulf Swimming will reimburse the actual entry cost for a meet as follows. (Effective date is for Meets after January 1, 2020)
  5.  
    1. The actual fees charged, Entry fees and Surcharge, OR
    2. Up to a maximum of $7.75 per entry and a maximum of $3.50 surcharge
  6. Submission for reimbursements of entry fees must be made after the meet date. Reimbursements may only be requested for actual swims at a specific meet. The first time a fraudulent request is submitted, it will be denied and a written explanation and warning will be issued informing the outreach member of the inaccurate statement being submitted to Gulf Swimming for reimbursement. If a family submits a second fraudulent outreach reimbursement request they will be removed from the outreach program.