Specific zoom links posted below under "summit schedule"
Most of the Summit will use the meeting link below, Zoom code "rkgibbons." The Athlete Committee Development portion will be conducted under separate Zoom links, posted further below on this page.
Raising the bar
"The best way to predict the future is to create it."
On June 27th, 2021, the Southern Zone Athletes' Committee will host its second-annual Athlete Summit, gathering athlete governance leaders from across USA Swimming's Southern Zone to grow, develop, and realign on the path into the sport's future. Building off of our 2020 event, this second iteration seeks to drive new determination and answer new questions, specifically targeting: "What is my role in this sport, and how can I use it to the fullest?"
Over a year after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic took its grip on the United States and the global swimming community, now more than ever we - each and every leader in the sport - need to challenge ourselves to find new ways forward, to build a better sport, and to work towards a brighter future. Our athletes need to be prepared to take a leading role in that process, understanding their position in the sport and their ability to strengthen it at every step of the way. The 2021 Summit will focus on all of this and more, centering on one key point: "Athletes matter."
Over a year after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic took its grip on the United States and the global swimming community, now more than ever we - each and every leader in the sport - need to challenge ourselves to find new ways forward, to build a better sport, and to work towards a brighter future. Our athletes need to be prepared to take a leading role in that process, understanding their position in the sport and their ability to strengthen it at every step of the way. The 2021 Summit will focus on all of this and more, centering on one key point: "Athletes matter."
meet the task force
The 2021 SZ Summit Task Force has been hard at work preparing for the event. Representing a wide range of perspectives, geographic backgrounds, and governance experiences, the group has sought to construct and execute the best possible Summit.
Ryan Gibbons (FL) - SZ Athlete Director, USA-S ZDC Co-Chair, AEC Mentor, AEC Leadership Sbcmte.
Anisa Nelson (GU) - Frm. Gulf Swimming Ath. Rep, Nat'l Officials Committee Davis Shelton (FL) - Frm. FL Swimming Ath. Rep, Nat'l Operational Risk Cmte. |
Lauren Hurt (SE) - SZ Junior Athlete Rep., Nat'l Club Development Cmte., SE Sr. Athlete Rep.
Ainsley Dodson (GU) - SZAC Administrator, Gulf Swimming Sr. Athlete Rep. Megan Braman (MS) - MS Swimming Sr. Athlete Rep. Will Foggin (GA) - Georgia Swimming Sr. Athlete Rep. |
With many thanks to our "Emeritus" members: Annie Norris (GU) - SZ Athlete Ex-Officio, AEC Programming & Events Chair; Ellery Parish (ST) - USA Swimming AEC Chair; Matthew Rigsbee (NC) - AEC Programming & Events / Leadership Liaison, Nat'l Rules & Regs. Cmte.; Annika Ruehlicke (GU) - AEC At-Large Member.
summit schedule
Subject to change. All times listed are ET.
1:00 - 2:10PM: Introduction
We'll kick off the Summit by setting up the day's key parts. This section will focus primarily on understanding how our personality traits can best be used in our professional endeavors and how we can use these traits to establish short-and-long-term goals.
2:20 - 3:30PM: Governance, Governance, and... wait, no, that's it - just Governance
We'll split up for part of this section, focused on diving deep into the sport's governance structure to understand its inner workings and the athlete place within it. Those newer to athlete leadership will participate in "Governance 201," focused on providing an intermediate-level look into operations at the LSC, Zone, and National Level with an emphasis on the standard legislative process. Those with more experience will play their cards at "Governance 301," focused on developing an advanced knowledge of the sport's governance structure and interactions between key institutions with an emphasis on the complex nature of legislation. Both Governance 201 and 301 will discuss opportunities athletes have to dive deeper into the governance structure. The joint part of the day's governance activities will focus on applying legislative principles and balancing governance stakeholders.
3:45 - 4:30PM: Athlete Committee Development
This part of the Summit will also see us breaking into groups. One group will focus on LSCs who do not have established Athletes' Committees or whose committees are relatively new. For these LSCs, we'll discuss what the first steps are, how to get growing and going, and how to begin setting up a plan for efficacy. The other group will focus on LSCs who have relatively well-established committees, instead looking at how their committees can best operate and how they can drive to new levels in growing their LSC and the sport as a whole.
4:30-5:15PM: Joint Athlete / Non-Athlete Session (Nonathletes start at 4:15PM)
During this section, we'll be inviting LSC Non-Athlete Leaders to breakout sessions with their LSC Athlete Representatives. In these sessions, we'll have attendees discuss long-term plans for their LSCs and how Athlete Representatives can play their part to make those goals into reality.
5:30 - 6:30PM: Speaker Panel - What Lies Ahead
Speakers for the panel will be finalized in the near future. This panel will discuss how serving as an Athlete Representative can best prepare you for the professional world and your future outside of the sport.
6:35ish - 7:00PM: Closing Thoughts
We'll take a few minutes to close out the afternoon, talking about our key takeaways and our next steps.
questions / contact
All questions and correspondence should be directed to [email protected] or to Ryan Gibbons at (407)-353-1966 and [email protected].