I first heard this name back in 2006.  USA swimming was so serious about raising its minority profile. I didn’t think much of it at the time; certainly didn’t expect it to last.

But now I’m finding just what John Cruzat has brought to swimming in the US.  The former Army   Infantryman  was awarded the Bronze Star for actions in combat Desert Storm. After retirement, he was Vice President of the Urban League of the Pikes Peak region until USA Swimming recruited him.  He is the mind behind the Make a Splash program I talked about yesterday.

What I think is cool is that Cruzat is not just focused on the bottom end of the swimming scale–learn to swim initiatives.  He also created a Diversity Select Meet where children aged 13-18 had to post certain times before they would be accepted. This is from the application for the camp, held this year in March.

Purpose of the Camp: To instill a vision of success and inspire athletes from ethnically under-representedpopulations to become leaders in the sport of swimming. Coming to the Olympic Training Center to train with other selected athletes and meet with other coaches in a great environment is certainly motivational. The Camp also seeks to further empower the athletes and their coaches to achieve performance excellence and assist in recruiting more swimmers and coaches of color to the sport of swimming.

When Cruzat first got on board at USA Swimming, he was very excited and acknowledged that he couldn’t make changes overnight.  It’s been a few years now, and he has made some positive changes in the National Swimming scene.  I can’t wait to see what else he has up his sleeves!