The Elvis Initiative Seeks to Promote Diversity in Swimming

by SwimSwam 3

February 27th, 2015 National, News, Press Releases

Swimming news courtesy of Elvis Burrows

YMCA of Greater Louisville and JCPS After-School Program

Southwest Family YMCA

2800 Fordhaven Road

Presents

The Elvis Initiative

Wellington Elementary

Sponsored by Yum! Brands Foundation

Month of March – Every Weekday

5 days a week

1 hour a day

Louisville, KY – – Southwest Family YMCA welcomes Olympic Swimmer, Elvis Burrows and Wellington Elementary students to their facility for ONE MONTH of lessons and training of water fluency, water safety and healthy lifestyle tips, diet and motivation. Elvis along with presenting sponsor, Yum! Brands Foundation plan to present this Initiative twice a year for JCPS Elementary students with hopes of great inspirational impact – Donna Benton – JCPS, “This experience will motivate Wellington Elementary School students to be effective and happy citizens, learners, workers, and leaders for the 21st century”

Coach Nate Knopf is proud to have a Lakeside Alumni Olympian reaching out to our youth, “This is an effort to allow kids from disadvantageous economic circumstances the opportunity to not only work with an amazing athlete such as Elvis, but to become water fluent.  Drowning rates for minorities in particular African Americans is far above the National average. Lakeside is proud to play a part in such a great cause.””

 

WHO:

Elvis and Wellington Elementary 3rd– 5th grade students

WHAT:

A positive impact program inspiring our youth to live a healthy lifestyle and demonstrate water friendly ways and safety tips

WHEN:

The Month of March, 4pm – 5pm

WHERE:           

Southwest Family YMCA, 2800 Fordhaven Road

WHY:

Empower kids to feel safe while in water and encourage a healthy lifestyle and workout tips to promote being fit! Elvis states, This is an extremely important event because we are giving these kids an opportunity to learn not only a lifesaving skill, but a skill for lifetime fitness. We know that people who learn to swim tend to perform better academically and develop long term fitness habits. The best part, is we get to offer this program FOR FREE to children that most likely would have never had the resources to do so on their own. Coincidentally, these are the children who need it most”

 

Lakeside Boilerplate/ Mission Statement:

The Lakeside SeaHawks Swim Team is committed to continuing its tradition of competitive swimming excellence.  Through dedication and hard work, each team member is afforded the opportunity to achieve his/her fullest potential as an individual and athlete.  By providing a professional coaching staff, combined with parental commitment, we seek to provide a healthy and motivating environment of enhanced self-esteem and pride in accomplishment.  We expect swimming to be rewarding and fun for all our participants.

Elvis Burrows Background:

Elvis V. Burrows is a Bahamian swimmer who specializes in sprint freestyle and butterfly events. Upon his admission at the University of Kentucky, Burrows helped the Wildcats 200 free relay to a bronze medal in 2009 and a silver medal in 2010 at the Southeastern Conference Championships. The Cats had top 16 finishes respectively both years at the NCAA Championships. He is also the team record holder in the 100 butterfly at 46.72.

Burrows made it into the international scene, when he represented his homeland, the Bahamas, at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He then went on to shatter 4 Bahamian national records with a 22.39 – 50 freestyle, 23.74 – 50 butterfly, 50.88 – 100 freestyle and a 53.51 in the 100 butterfly, all at the 2009 FINA World Championships in Rome. Elvis also competed at the 2010 Central American and Carribean Games in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and won a bronze medal in the men’s 50 meter butterfly event, with an impressive time of 24.30 seconds.

Learn more about him at www.elvisvb.com

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Orion Smith
9 years ago

Right on! Elvis used to swim with me in Freeport Grand Bahama with me when we were younger. He is a very dedicated and committed individual. I am very proud of Borrows and I’m honored to have him as a former teammate.

Lazy Observer
9 years ago

Water safety is vital for all communities and this is a great idea. But competitve swimming will always be a tough sport for low-income students in the states. In basketball, they can become skilled in school and street games with minimal equipment, sometimes compensating for technique with raw physicality, and football doesn’t require club participation or long-distance travel. For swimming, like tennis or golf, it always strikes me that students not only need access to a venue, but they are more likely to miss out on the coaching needed to refine their craft, their parents have less time and sometimes no transportation to support things like morning practices or away meets, they are are more likely to switch schools during… Read more »

9 years ago

This is exactly the kind of effort and initiative the swimming world needs to get the ball rolling on being a more inclusive and diverse sport. Congratulations Elvis!