Four Reasons National Diversity Select Camp 2017 was Unforgettable
This past weekend 48 up-and-coming athletes and six coaches experienced life as a National Team athlete at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. with a few fun twists.
Here are a four things that happened at camp this past weekend to make it a memorable weekend for all!
1. It's a bird, it's a plane... Wait, it's National Diversity Select Camp Athletes!
Athletes found themselves in superhero costumes, t-shirts and superhero poses throughout the weekend as the underlying theme of the weekend was "The Power of You: Discovering Your Superhero".
2. Oh Snap! National Diversity Select Camp takes on Snapchat
Athletes and coaches took fans behind the scenes on Day 2 of National Diversity Select Camp on USA Swimming's Snapchat!
3. Attending the camp became a dream come true for a few athletes!
Four years ago Michael Griffith of Dayton Raiders in Dayton, Ohio and his coach made a plan to achieve his goal of attending National Diversity Select Camp - this weekend that dream became a reality.
"It's very surreal. It's always been one of my dreams to come to the National Diversity Select Camp," said Griffith. "When I was 12, my coach and I sat down for a meeting and I told him I wanted to go the Diversity Select Camp. My coach told me you have the potential, but it comes down to the work effort you want to put in." "
Griffith was not alone. Allison Keeling of Fusion Aquatics in Redlands, Calif. battled Graves Disease - an autoimmune disorder of the Thyroid gland - to get to National Diversity Select Camp after being diagnosed in December 2016.
"It was tough at first. I didn't think I was going to swim like I used to swim," said Keeling. "It's been a rough road, but being selected for [National Diversity Select Camp] was such a big deal for me. I was so happy, I cried and I just knew I was going to make a comeback into swimming."