Awarding Those Who Serve
Each year the US Swim School Association presents several awards to honor significant contributors to our organization and the learn-to-swim industry, as a well as, celebrate the evolving efforts of our member schools. Our annual awards: Educator of the Year, Guiding Light, Humanitarian, Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement Awards are presented to those who have influenced their communities, the Association, and the aquatic industry as a whole.
USSSA also provides an opportunity for each USSSA swim schools to recognize their “outstanding staff” with a personalized US Swim School Association plaque.
Guiding Light
The Guiding Light seeks to honor individuals who have provided exceptional service to the US Swim School Association and/or other members of the US Swim School Association. The Guiding Light recipient demonstrates a generous commitment to teaching, helping, sharing and otherwise serving the Association and/or its members. The Guiding Light recipient may contribute through notable service, inclusionary practices, quiet guidance, important projects or steady participation. Inductees are nominated by US Swim School Association members and selected by the Board of Directors.
2023 Guiding Light Winner – Brendan O’Melveny
Humanitarian Award
The Humanitarian Award seeks to recognize members of the US Swim School Association who have provided outstanding service to others, demonstrating empathy, selflessness and commitment. The Humanitarian Award seeks to encourage good works among the members of the US Swim School Association, particularly good works that impact children, learning to swim, safety, community, and families. Inductees are nominated by US Swim School Association members and selected by the Board of Directors.
2023 Humanitarian Award Recipient – Brad Grzelka
Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame award seeks to honor individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to the teaching and learning of swimming. Reserved for those who have demonstrated 20 years or more of commitment, the recipient has developed expertise that is fame – worthy – e.g. recognized and appreciated within the swimming community and public at large. The Hall of Fame recipient demonstrates a lifelong passion and devotion to the teaching of swimming and learning of swimming and has exercised his or her expertise for the advancement of children, safety, learning to swim, and the lifelong benefits and joys of swimming. Inductees are nominated by US Swim School Association members and selected by the Board of Directors.
2023 Hall of Fame Recipient – Miren Oca
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award is based on career longevity, philanthropic endeavors and lasting contributions to society. The award is for individuals with at least 10 years of accomplishments in the learn to swim industry who have had a significant impact on a large number of individuals and organizations. Lifetime Achievement awards are awarded to recognize contributions over the whole of a career, rather than or in addition to single contributions. Inductees are nominated and selected by the Board of Directors.
2023 Lifetime Achievement Recipient – Andy Broido
USSSA Ed McHale Educator of the Year
The USSSA Ed McHale Educator of the Year Award looks to recognize an exceptional educator in the learn-to-swim industry. It highlights educators who make significant contributions to their students and create a student-centered learning environment. Recipients must have at least five years of in water experience as an educator working at a USSSA member swim school. The award is named after a former recipient who exemplified what it means to be an exceptional educator and tragically left us all too soon. With this award we hope to give national recognition to those that teach students day in and day out the lifesaving skill of swim.
2023 Educator of the Year – Jennifer Butler
2023 Educator of the Year – Katiuska Yanez
The Wendy Fereday Swim School recently shared with us a letter they received from swim mom Erin. “We took the boys to our pool in the neighborhood for a quick swim yesterday evening to get out some bedtime energy. Decker and Jax were playing with an inflatable water polo goal they recently got. Ames, age 3, went to check it out and I had my eyes on him the whole time from where I was sitting. He leaned over at the edge of the pool and reached too far in the water and fell in head first in the pool. I instantly got up from my chair and ran to help him (I was close enough where I knew I could get to him if I needed to) but I stopped at the edge of the pool because I could see him do the “turn around and save yourself” routine. He was kicking his legs and reaching to the edge of the pool just like you’ve taught him since he was tiny! After he grabbed the edge of the pool, he started to pull himself out of the pool and he was crying. I hugged him and told him “Ames, you did it. You turned around and saved yourself!” He kept crying and saying “I fell in the pool” and I just kept saying over and over again “you turned around and saved yourself” and gave him lots of big hugs. Then the boys came over and told him good job for saving himself and he got so proud of himself.”