Pacific Masters Swimming is an organization powered by volunteers and involvement is likely a personal commitment for those who give their time. Becoming a member of the Pacific Masters Swimming Diversity & Inclusion Committee was personal, and I certainly have opinions about what it means to be included in the sport of swimming.

My wife and step-daughter are black, female immigrants. For them, the ability to swim for life preservation, for recreation, or for competition was not culturally pervasive. From my outsider perspective, there seem to be several reasons for this. One is a lack of ready access to swimming facilities. They are expensive to maintain and there is no reason to build pools when there is no demand and more pressing infrastructure needs. I have also heard some people are dissuaded from swimming due to the effects of water, particularly chlorinated water, on black hair. Finally, there are a lack of role models and skilled swimmers who can pass on swimming skills and knowledge to youth. While more prevalent in foreign countries, but the same challenges exist in the United States.

Although I spent most of my childhood in a fairly racially, financially, and culturally homogenous rural Midwestern community, I was raised to believe (and later embraced through learned experience) that diversity enriches living: diversity of appearance; diversity of cultural background; diversity of opinion; diversity of ideas and experience. A lack of diversity creates a static environment. There is comfort in sameness. There is less friction when we are surrounded by people who share our opinions, values, and experiences. While it’s natural to seek out people with the same interests, we never challenge ourselves to grow if we don’t experience friction. Another trait innate in my Midwestern upbringing is justice, traced back to the Northern European democracies which shaped the region. A sense of justice drives my belief in equity. All people should have the same rights and chances to do in life what they want to do.

The belief in diversity, equity, and inclusion is important to Pacific Masters, too. I joined the D&I Committee to try and drive change in our practices and constituency so all people who would like to swim can swim. In addition to being a member of the D&I Committee, I’m also the Sanctions Coordinator. In an effort to bring the committee’s work into important areas of Pacific Masters, we have included language in the Pacific Masters meet and event sheet template to express our commitment to ensuring swimmers can participate in competition. As an able-bodied, straight, white male, there may be no question as to my ability to participate in a swimming event. What about those who are missing a limb, are visually or hearing impaired, or have other requirements to participate in a swimming event? Many of us might take the commands of the race official for granted. We might not think about how easy or difficult it may be to enter and exit a swim lane, either from the side or the diving block. Consider what might be required to park at and enter a competition location if there is any physical impairment to easy access. Here is the language we wrote into our meet sheet template so meet directors can consider whether their facility can accommodate all swimmers with these challenges in mind:

ACCESSIBILITY:

Athletes are welcomed at all USMS events regardless of ability or disability. USMS, Pacific Masters, and the meet host wish to provide accommodation wherever reasonable for athletes with mobility, communications, and/or cognitive disabilities:

• The facility is [please include one of the following statements: a.) generally accessible to those with disabilities; b.) limited in its accessibility for those with mobility or communications disabilities.] 
   
• [Add specific language from the facility about excluding animals but including service animals, if the facility has such a policy. Also add any other helpful language about other limitations.] Athletes may contact the meet director with specific questions about how accommodations may be provided. Athletes may contact the Meet Referee for information about adaptations to the USMS Rule Book that may be applied to accommodate any athlete’s disabilities.

The inclusion of this language in our meet and event sheet templates is one small way in which we can support diversity and inclusion in our sport. Including accessibility language at a point which can directly impact awareness and action by those hosting swimming events can have real-world effects in the competitive swimming environment. It reinforces our commitment to the values of creating a diverse and equitable environment for our current athletes and sets a welcoming tone for those who wish to swim in the future.

The Pacific Masters Diversity & Inclusion Committee is a forum and decision-making body dedicated to creating real and actionable change for the better. Our actions demonstrate our commitment to our personal and organizational beliefs to improve the sport of swimming and make it accessible to anyone, anywhere who wants to swim.