Tuesday, December 14, 2021
2020 Swim-a-Thon Winner King Marlin Earns Grand Prize Visit from Kelsi Dahlia
King Marlin Swim Club (KMS) of Oklahoma Swimming, a 2020 Swim-a-Thon grand prize winner, participated in their in-person visit from Swim-a-Thon Ambassador Kelsi Dahlia.
Swim-a-Thon is a fundraiser where participants raise money by swimming lengths of the pool. The grand prize-winning club receives an in-person visit from the current Swim-a-Thon Ambassador, pizza party celebration, a year subscription to TeamUnify as well as a VISA gift card.
“This year is the perfect year to have Kelsi (Dahlia) make a visit. After the last 19 months of changes, cancelled practices, postponed meets and daily uncertainty, this visit gave our team a chance to come together to celebrate each other and USA Swimming,” said former KMS booster club president and current treasurer Suzan Haizlip.
USA Swimming member clubs choose how they utilize raised funds. KMS provides 10 athlete scholarships a month to swimmers in their community that would otherwise not be able to afford to pay for club fees. This is a great way to give back to the community and provide pool access to those who otherwise would not be able to participate. Some examples of how other clubs across the country have used funds include contributing to coach salaries or bonuses, paying for pool rental fees or providing updated equipment for athletes to use.
A completed Swim-a-Thon has many perks for a USA Swimming member club.
“As a team, we have always chosen to include the Swim-a-Thon in our fundraising because of the philanthropic nature of not only supporting our local team, but also paying it forward to the USA Swimming Foundation,” Haizlip said.
KMS typically hosts their Swim-a-Thon’s in the fall. This year, they will put an emphasis on using their website to reach out to more people in addition to make donations easier to manage. The funds raised will continue to be used for scholarships and any other needs that arise.
With the 2022 Swim-a-Thon season right around the corner, it is important to create a plan on how to execute the event early on. When we asked what advice KMS had for clubs who are thinking about hosting a Swim-a-Thon for the first time in 2022, they said:
“Absolutely GO FOR IT! USA Swimming offers fun prizes and there are so many resources available online to help market the Swim-a-Thon and engage your parents and athletes. The benefits of the Swim-a-Thon are many, but the highlights are community involvement in USA Swimming, team involvement and a fun competition. Our team will run contests with our swim groups and offer pizza parties, raffles and equipment prizes to swimmers that bring in donations. It is always a fun event for us!”
To learn more about how your club can conduct a Swim-a-Thon, please visit: https://www.usaswimming.org/foundation#swim-a-thon.
Swim-a-Thon is a fundraiser where participants raise money by swimming lengths of the pool. The grand prize-winning club receives an in-person visit from the current Swim-a-Thon Ambassador, pizza party celebration, a year subscription to TeamUnify as well as a VISA gift card.
“This year is the perfect year to have Kelsi (Dahlia) make a visit. After the last 19 months of changes, cancelled practices, postponed meets and daily uncertainty, this visit gave our team a chance to come together to celebrate each other and USA Swimming,” said former KMS booster club president and current treasurer Suzan Haizlip.
USA Swimming member clubs choose how they utilize raised funds. KMS provides 10 athlete scholarships a month to swimmers in their community that would otherwise not be able to afford to pay for club fees. This is a great way to give back to the community and provide pool access to those who otherwise would not be able to participate. Some examples of how other clubs across the country have used funds include contributing to coach salaries or bonuses, paying for pool rental fees or providing updated equipment for athletes to use.
A completed Swim-a-Thon has many perks for a USA Swimming member club.
“As a team, we have always chosen to include the Swim-a-Thon in our fundraising because of the philanthropic nature of not only supporting our local team, but also paying it forward to the USA Swimming Foundation,” Haizlip said.
KMS typically hosts their Swim-a-Thon’s in the fall. This year, they will put an emphasis on using their website to reach out to more people in addition to make donations easier to manage. The funds raised will continue to be used for scholarships and any other needs that arise.
With the 2022 Swim-a-Thon season right around the corner, it is important to create a plan on how to execute the event early on. When we asked what advice KMS had for clubs who are thinking about hosting a Swim-a-Thon for the first time in 2022, they said:
“Absolutely GO FOR IT! USA Swimming offers fun prizes and there are so many resources available online to help market the Swim-a-Thon and engage your parents and athletes. The benefits of the Swim-a-Thon are many, but the highlights are community involvement in USA Swimming, team involvement and a fun competition. Our team will run contests with our swim groups and offer pizza parties, raffles and equipment prizes to swimmers that bring in donations. It is always a fun event for us!”
To learn more about how your club can conduct a Swim-a-Thon, please visit: https://www.usaswimming.org/foundation#swim-a-thon.