Scholarships for Swimmers!

Scholarships for Swimmers!

Do Well in School and Swim Fast in the Pool:  Scholar Athletic Award Applications Are Now Available

In a previous post, I mentioned the importance of excelling both in the classroom and in the pool.  Yes, being ‘fast in the pool’ is wonderful however, doing ‘well in school’ is key for college-bound athletes.  Excelling in academics can help our young athletes earn scholarships for swimmers. This is one reason why USA Swimming and local swimming committees recognize excellence in both the classroom and in the pool.

USA Swimming and PVS have two opportunities for recognition:  USA Swimming’s Scholastic All American Team and the Potomac Valley Swimming’s Scholar Athlete Award**.  These awards are provided to high school students who have achieved a 3.5 or higher academic GPA and an event standard average of 3.5 or higher.  (** PVS is a Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia based organization. Please contact your local swimming committee for information on scholarships and awards)

What is an ‘event standard average’ of 3.5?  These are time standards obtained at USA Swimming sanctioned or approved short course or long course meets (please note that high school dual-meet times and summer league times DO NOT apply).

For example:

• A, AA, AAA, AAAA = 4 points
• B = 3 points
• C = 2 points

I’ve provided an overview of each of these programs below and links to each application as well as instructions for looking up your USA Swimming Time Standards.  However, please review the application requirements carefully.  Each application has specific academic requirements and requirements for time standards.

For families swimming outside of the DMV, don’t worry.  Your local swimming committee (LSC) may provide other recognition and award programs.  Do some research and take a look at their websites.  To help you in your search, here is a link to all of the LSC websites within USA Swimming.

Why should your athlete receive recognition through these programs?  Colleges look for applicants who not only have solid academic credentials (strong test scores and solid GPAs) but they also seek students who have shown commitment and dedication to a specific interest or activity.  Getting recognized through one of these programs will certainly show a high level of commitment and academic strength.

So don’t delay.  Let’s give our scholar-athletes an opportunity to earn scholarships for swimmers and a chance to stand proudly on the starting block and be recognized for excellence!

USA SWIMMING’S Scholastic All American Team Recognition (Applications are due August 15, 2016). This award is open to all USA swimming athletes who

• Completed grade 10, 11, or 12 during the 2015-2016 academic year
• Attained a 3.5 or higher grade point average during the 2015-2016 academic year AND
• Achieved a 3.5 or higher event standard average in at least one event during the 2015-2016 academic year.

Potomac Valley Swimming Scholar Athlete Award (Applications are due October 15, 2016). A copy of the student’s final report card must be submitted to the Scholar Athlete Coordinator via email at pvsscholarathletecoordinator@gmail.com. This award is open to all PVS/USA swimming athletes who

• Completed grade 9, 10, 11, or 12 during the 2015-2016 academic year
• Attained a 3.5 or higher grade point average during the 2015-2016 academic year AND
• Achieved a 3.5 or higher event standard average in a minimum of five events during the 2015-2016 academic year.

How to find out your times and standards, follow these steps

• Go to the USA Swimming Times Lookup Page and get your times.
• Go to the USA Swimming Time Standards Page and see where your times rank
• Submit your time standards with the online application.

About the author:  Monica E. Randall, PhD is a college admissions expert and swim mom.  Her practice educates and prepares college-bound student athletes how to successfully and meaningfully incorporate their academic and athletic talents into their future college lives.  Working with Dr. Randall, students not only find ‘best fit’ colleges to attend but also improve their odds of getting into their top choice college.   She can be reached at monica@bridge2colleges.com or Bridge2College Consulting.