Cary, NC -- On Memorial Day Weekend, May 23-24, 2015, the North Carolina Aquablazers Swim Team, the Triangle Aquatic Center and the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance will host the 13th Annual National Black Heritage Championship Swim Meet at the Triangle Aquatic Center (TAC). This year the meet is expecting 900 swimmers from across the country. The National Black Heritage Championship Swim Meet (NBHCSM) offers a rare opportunity for swimmers of all nationalities to come together and compete at a high level. This commemorative and historical meet will expect to bring the Cary area an estimated $1 million in direct visitor spending.

Event Details:
When: Memorial Day Weekend; Saturday, May 23rd and Sunday, May 24th 2015 What: 13th Annual National Black Heritage Championship Swim Meet
Where: Triangle Aquatic Center, Cary, NC

The swim meet has grown quickly over the past 13th years from only 10 teams with 125 swimmers to 42 teams with over 900 swimmers. NBHCSM is open to swimmers of all races, colors, nationalities and creeds. The mission of the meet is to combat drowning and to promote competitive swimming as a means to pursue dreams of reaching a professional level and even to obtain a college education. The meet has attracted numerous teams from each of the Top 10 States of Most Reported Drownings-California, Texas, Georgia, New York, Illinois, Florida, North Carolina, Arizona, Ohio and Louisiana. According to National Water Safety and National Drowning Prevention Alliance, African Americans and Hispanics nationally account for more than 3 times as many drowning incidents.

This year Olympians Maritza Corriea McClendon and Cullen Jones will be in attendance to support the meets continued goal for the Championships 13th year. Maritza is the first Puerto Rican of African descent to be a member of the U.S. Olympic Team and in 2004 was the first Black American swimmer to set an American and World Swimming record. In addition, she earned a Silver Medal at the 2004 Olympics. Cullen Jones, a 2008 and 2012 Olympian, is the Current American Record Holder for the 50 meter Freestyle, and the first African-American male to win a Gold Medal at the World University Games and World Record holder. In addition to his other medals, Cullen won Gold Medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Maritza and Cullen have become ambassadors for the sport of swimming as minorities and stellar athletes.

The excitement in and out of the pool makes this swim meet like no other competition. It has shown year after year, how important it is to encourage youth to have fun, while learning a skill that will saves lives. Over the span of the swim meet, swimmers have had the opportunity to win trophies, elite training gear, swim suits --- in efforts to impress upon the youth of today, the importance of learning how to swim.

The National Black Heritage Championship Swim Meet will continue to attract swimmers of all skills and nationalities to the Triangle Aquatic Center for years to come, while continuing its mission to provide an exciting and diverse swim meet. Marbles Kids Museum on Hargett Street in Downtown Raleigh plays host to the meet ending celebratory party. The party is the highlight of the many swimmers, volunteers and coaches allowing the swimmers to enjoy the amenities Marbles Kids Museum while eating and dancing the night away.

The founding team, The North Carolina Aquablazers Swim Team is a small group of diverse swimmers from North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, California, Pennsylvania and Tennessee, who, along with their parents, want to inspire more minorities to learn to swim and join the competitive swimming ranks. They formed the National Black Heritage Swimming Foundation in December 2009 to further their goals. One of their initial efforts has been to support the Garner Road Community Center and Brittany Copeland's Jump In® program to provide free swim lessons to minority children during the winter months each year.

For more details contact the Media Contacts,
Blair Cross Bccamille@mac.com
Lisa PJ Webb nbhcswimmeet@gmail.com
Meet Director Kathy Cooper blackheritageswimming@gmail.com Visit all of our websites -
http://blackheritageswimming.org
www.triangleaquatics.org
www.visitraleigh.com