In honor of Black History Month, and to raise awareness for the sport of swimming and diversity in aquatics, University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Seaholm High School swim teams will come together in a 1 v 1 dual meet format unlike any other.  This swim meet will unite crosstown rivals U of D and Seaholm, showcasing their swimming talents while raising funds to provide life-saving swim lessons and water safety education to children without access to aquatics programs.

The Maroon Cup Dual Meet will be sponsored by The Goldfish Foundation, founded by the owners of Goldfish Swim School. All proceeds of the event will be matched dollar for dollar by the foundation and used to provide swim lessons to local charity organizations.  Goldfish Swim School is a leading learn-to-swim school founded in Birmingham, MI that teaches children ages four months to 12 years vital swim safety skills. In addition to raising awareness for water safety, organizers of this event hope to break a high school swim meet attendance record. As part of his visit, Olympic Gold Medalist Cullen Jones will also meet with University of Detroit Jesuit High School students to share his story, encourage and celebrate inclusivity in the sport. 

After a near-drowning experience as a child, Cullen was immediately put in swim lessons, where it became clear very quickly that he had a natural talent as a swimmer. Cullen worked tirelessly to shatter stereotypes and to help promote diversity and inclusion in the sport. In his Olympic swimming career, Cullen won 4 medals – including two golds. He became the first African American man to win a gold medal at the World University Games in 2005, and the first Black swimmer to hold a World Record.

The Maroon Cup is Saturday, February 1st at 12pm at Seaholm High School in Birmingham. Tickets are only $5 per person.

Drowning remains the number one cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 1 to 4, taking the lives of three children in the United States every day. Furthermore, according to the CDC, a startling 70 percent of African American children and 60 percent of Hispanic children in the United States do not know how to swim.  African American children ages 5-19 drown at a rate of 5.5 times higher than their white peers.  Learning to swim and practicing water safety at a young age is essential to preventing drowning. In fact, studies show that enrolling a child in swim lessons can reduce their chance of drowning by up to 88 percent.

FIND A GOLDFISH SWIM SCHOOL NEAR YOU:

  • ANN ARBOR2107 West Stadium Blvd Ann Arbor, MI 48103
  • BIRMINGHAM2388 Cole Street, Ste 101 Birmingham, MI 48009
  • CANTON225 Sheldon Rd Canton, MI 48187
  • CLARKSTON6340 Waldon Center Drive Clarkston, MI 48346
  • FARMINGTON HILLS22710 Haggerty Rd. Ste 200 Farmington Hills, MI 48335
  • MACOMB18377 Hall Road Suite I Macomb, MI 48044
  • ROCHESTER550 South Street Rochester, MI 48307
  • WEST BLOOMFIELD6335-A Orchard Lake Rd West Bloomfield, MI 48322