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UDC to host swim meet

(Published February 10, 2003)

The nation’s top young swimmers will compete at the 17th annual Black History Invitational Swim Meet Feb. 15-16 at the University of the District of Columbia’s Aquatic Center.

The event showcases the swimming prowess of swimmers 18 and younger. Last year, about 650 swimmers from 31 U.S. cities competed.

Events will be held from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Feb. 15 and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 16. The aquatic center is located on the UDC campus at 4200 Connecticut Ave. NW.

The meet is sponsored by the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation and will be hosted by the District’s swim team.

UDC’s Aquatic Center was recruited as the venue for this year’s event due to renovations being in progress at the Capitol East Natatorium, near Eastern Market on Capitol Hill, where the meet normally is held.

In recent years, the Black History Month Invitational Swim Meet also has saluted notable community leaders whose contributions and achievements have set new standards in their respective fields, opening doors for young men and women.

This year’s community honorees will be Dan Knise and Clarence Bishop of the Washington/Baltimore Regional 2012 Coalition, which led the region’s unsuccessful bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics.

"Our honorees have worked diligently in support of today’s amateur athlete," Department of Parks and Recreation Director Neil O. Albert said in a press release issued by his department. He said honoring them will emphasize that "their efforts have not gone unnoticed."

The Black History Month Invitational Swim Meet was founded jointly in 1987 by the D.C. Department of Recreation and Parks and the United Black Fund Inc. as the only swim meet in the nation held in honor of Black History Month.

The swim meet was originally established to provide urban youth nationwide with exposure to organized competition and a positive outlet for self-expression, a forum of positive role models and an opportunity to visit the nation’s capital.

Copyright 2003, The Common Denominator