Coughlin, DiRado, Tarwater Named USA Swimming BOD Athlete Reps

Natalie Coughlin, Maya DiRado and Davis Tarwater have been elected as USA Swimming’s new athlete representatives on the Board of Directors.

USA Swimming’s Athletes Committee voted on the nominees, adding three new positions to the Board of Directors. USA Swimming announced the news Friday afternoon:

Coughlin, DiRado and Tarwater were elected from six nominees. Not selected were Nathan Adrian, Andrew Gemmell and Brad CraigPreviously, we’d reported that the top vote-getter would serve a 4-year term, the next-highest a 3-year term and the third-highest a 2-year term. A source tells us that Coughlin will serve the 4-year term, DiRado the 3-year and Tarwater the 2-year.

From our previous report: To be eligible, athletes must have:

  1. within the ten (10) years preceding election, represented the United States in the Olympic or Pan American Games, or an Operation Gold event, or a World Championship recognized by the NGB’s IF for which a competitive selection process was administered by the NGB…or
  2. within the twenty-four (24) months before election, demonstrated that they are actively engaged in amateur athletic competition by finishing in the top half of the NGB’s national championships or team selection competition for the events outlined in subparagraphs (1) or (2)

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Caftrand
6 years ago

I certainly hope that Natalie Coughlin Hall will focus less on her winery, and more on whining on behalf of USA Swimming and its athletes. With USA Swimming’s focus on Safe Sport, it may be a little problematic to have the owner of a winery on its Board, but one can hope that she will act with discretion regarding her business interests (which she is entitled to have).

Admin
Reply to  Caftrand
6 years ago

I don’t think there’s any SafeSport regulation against owning wineries or against adults consuming alcohols. They sell alcohol at USA Swimming National meets, afterall.

Botsgalf
Reply to  Braden Keith
6 years ago

Yep.Role model issue though for Coughlin, and also potential conflict of interest.Time to start speaking out on these issues. Watch any Senate hearings lately? USA Swimming should revoke its rule.Is there any place left that kids and sober adults can go without having to deal with liquored up adults? Alcohol abuse often leads to sexual abuse as well.

Rush!
6 years ago

Dave Tarwater always reminded me of Dave Grohl from Foo Fighters…

generalkunji
6 years ago

These amazing people will serve with integrity and forward thinking! WOW!!!!

eagleswim
6 years ago

A couple of questions.

Davis is listed as a board member on their site right now as an athlete rep along with Derek Paul and Chip Peterson. Is this a position renewal for him?

Also, the site lists Natalie Hall as an ex-officio board member as USOC Athlete Advisory Council Rep, along with Anthony Ervin. Will she no longer hold that position, or will she be one board vote for both position? Not sure how I feel about that.

Easy E
6 years ago

why call them “athlete board members” when the three are not competing anymore? They are all very accomplished both in and out of the pool, and they all have the experience of being national team and Olympic team members. They all have the merit and experience to be there, but it seems to me like USA Swimming implied there would be reps that are current swimmers and now there is not.

Admin
Reply to  Easy E
6 years ago

Easy E – they’re ‘athlete members’ because there are certain requirements on them as elite athletes to be eligible to run, as listed at the end.

Easy E
Reply to  Braden Keith
6 years ago

The requirements are inclusive. I’m curios about a check on how they are written here. Are the requirements either or or? Dirado (I think) is just outside the 24 month participation and Tarwater is probably more like 6 yrs removed (unless they do Masters). My point is that they should call it “former swimmers we all admire” ambassadorship and not give the notion that current swimmers will be on it if they are not in fact on it

Person
Reply to  Easy E
6 years ago

They are either/or. The basic gist is you either need to be an active athlete (the 24 months) or be within 10 years of your last participation. The requirement comes from 36 U.S.C. 220522(a)(10) (the Amateur Sports Act provision that defines how the 20% athlete representation rule is defined) (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/36/220522).

About Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though. Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending …

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