Our Story
Make a Difference
Race Swami is a close-knit, community-driven swimming and enrichment program based in Rose Park and Glendale on Salt Lake City's westside. Most of our swimmers come from Rose Park, Poplar Grove, Fairpark, Glendale, Guadalupe Park and Central City, with a growing number from West Valley City and South Salt Lake.
We welcome all youth regardless of socioeconomic status. The team is culturally and economically diverse, most of our members receive financial assistance, and more than five languages are spoken inside the Swami community.
Our mission
Race Swami is a USA Swimming sanctioned program whose primary purpose is to provide opportunities in swimming and enrichment to economically disadvantaged youth in the westside neighbourhoods of Salt Lake City and County. We empower youth to be champions, in and out of the water, by focusing on self-discipline, teamwork and whole-body awareness.
Race Swami is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit club serving Rose Park, Glendale and the neighbouring communities of Salt Lake City's westside.
Why a fleur-de-lis
Our fleur is an ode to Lily Finnigan, who lives with a mitochondrial condition known as Mitochondria Complex-1. The mark stands for her perseverance. It holds hope against the odds, and it reminds us that however hard life gets, we keep learning.
The three points of the flower stand for courage, commitment and purpose. Every Swami who wears the fleur, athlete, coach, parent or booster, is agreeing to what comes with it: sportsmanship, honesty, integrity, poise and selflessness. Those standards are the heart of the Race Swami culture.
Where “Race Swami” comes from
“Swami” comes from co-founder Matt Finnigan's swimming days under the late Kevin Perry, one of the finest coaches USA Swimming has had. In the early eighties “KP” called his athletes Swamis. It was never a religious or cultural term; it meant they were ready to learn something new every day and to master their craft. He handed out books, told stories about Soichi Sakamoto and the Three Year Swim Club, and held contemplation sessions weeks later about what they had read.
One Saturday, instead of practice, Perry took his senior group to a pool in Belle Haven and they taught lessons all morning. Years later he told Finnigan, “someone's gotta do it, to make a difference.” “Race” was added for the love of racing, and as a nod to the Race Club founded by Olympian Gary Hall Sr. Kids just want to see how fast they can go, whether against the swimmer in the next lane, the clock, or themselves.
¡Sí Se Puede!
“Make a Difference” is printed on our green caps and most of our team gear, and we share it with our athletes every day. Alongside it we say “¡Sí Se Puede!”, yes we can. Every member of this program, swimmer, coach, parent or booster, can make a difference on this team, in this community, and in the world.