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Washington, DC Ranks 6th Among 50 Top Swim Cities in the US

Friday, September 16, 2016
For the Second Year in A Row DC Ranks in Top Ten
DPR Customer Service: (202) 673-7647
DPR Aquatic Office: (202) 671-1289
DPR Media Contact: 
Gwendolyn Crump, (202) 288-6027, [email protected]
 
 
(WASHINGTON, DC) – Washington, DC has been named sixth among the 50 Top Swim Cities in the United States according to a research study commissioned by USA Swimming and leading swimwear company Speedo USA.  To earn the “Top Swim City” designation, cities must have an impressive number of top-level swimmers, swim clubs, active swimmers, and accessible pools.
 
“The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) is a national leader in the aquatics industry," said DPR Director Keith A. Anderson.  "DPR is committed to offering swimming lessons to people of all ages and increasing opportunities for minorities to learn life-saving skills.  Not only are we pleased with ranking sixth among top swim cities, DPR also recently exceeded industry standards in an unannounced aquatics safety audit, in which lifeguards were unaware they were being observed."
 
Additionally, Director Anderson said, at this year’s 30th Annual Black History Invitational Swim Meet, held in Washington, DC, DPR hosted the largest contingent of minority swimmers in the event’s history -  more than 1,100 minority swimmers from 25 teams over the three-day event. Swimmers traveled from all over the country and from as far as St. Lucia. DPR is home to the DC Wave Swim Team.
 
“The top swim cities exemplifies all the qualities that make the sport of swimming great with strong community involvement, ease of access and ability to grow the sport,” said Matt Farrell, Chief Marketing Officer for USA Swimming. “We want to invite people of all ages across the country to join the sport of swimming and we hope this list inspires more kids and families to get involved.”
 
Included in USA Swimming’s other notable facts about the 10 cities:
  • Washington, DC is home to nearly 150 pools in the area, the nation’s capital has more than 13,000 USA Swimming members and offers over 40 aquatic features. 

Cities in the top 50 had an MSA population of 250,000 or higher. 
 
The complete list of the 50 Top Swim Cities can be found at http://www.usaswimming.org/50TopSwimCities.
 
For a full schedule of DPR Aquatics activities, visit http://dpr.dc.gov/service/aquatics-division.
 
 
 
 
About USA Swimming
 
As the National Governing Body for the sport of swimming in the United States, USA Swimming is a 400,000-member service organization that promotes the culture of swimming by creating opportunities for swimmers and coaches of all backgrounds to participate and advance in the sport through clubs, events and education. Our membership is comprised of swimmers from the age group level to the Olympic Team, as well as coaches and volunteers. USA Swimming is responsible for selecting and training teams for international competition including the Olympic Games, and strives to serve the sport through its core objectives: Build the base, Promote the sport, Achieve competitive success. For more information, visit www.usaswimming.org.
 
 
 
About Speedo
 
Speedo is the world’s leading swimwear brand. The teams at Speedo USA are passionate about life in and around the water, creating revolutionary new technologies, designs and innovations, and supporting swimming from the grassroots to the elite level. In the 1920’s, Speedo made history with the Racerback, the world’s first non-wool suit. In 2008, Speedo redefined swimwear again with Fastskin LZR RACER, one of the fastest and most technologically advanced swimsuits ever created; 2011 saw Speedo unveil another world first with the Fastskin Racing System - a cap, goggle and suit designed to work together as one.  Speedo is owned by Speedo Holdings B.V. and distributed in over 170 countries around the world; in North America and the Caribbean, Speedo is licensed exclusively to Warnaco Swimwear Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of PVH Corp. To find out more, visit http://www.speedousa.com.
 
 
 
About DPR
 
The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) provides quality urban recreation and leisure services for residents and visitors to the District of Columbia. DPR currently operates 94 playgrounds, 73 recreation centers, almost 1,000 acres of park land, over 40 aquatic features, 375 parks, over 200 play courts (basketball and tennis), and more than 100 athletic fields. DPR owns and operates the programming function of many park spaces,  outdoor facilities, aquatic facilities, bikeways/trails, environmental and natural lands and recreation centers. The agency also coordinates a wide variety of recreation and educational programs including sports leagues, youth development, therapeutic recreation, aquatic programming, outdoor adventure, camping, and senior citizen activities. Adaptive programs and facilities are available for persons with disabilities.
 
 
 
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