Education
competition
leadership
The concept of a “student-athlete” is foreign to most children in Central America.
Though being a student-athlete is a common concept in the United States, it’s nearly unheard of in most of Central America. Through the Nica Nadadores framework and your support, our student-athletes have opened the door to possibility. Each student-athlete in our program is highly self-motivated and have earned the opportunity at a brighter future.
in the classroom
Nica Nadadores student-athletes work with resiliency to maintain good grades. For the majority of our participants, EDUCATION is typically the make-or-break factor in having a chance at upward mobility. Challenging them to pursue academic excellence in the classroom, while balancing a rigorous athletic regimen separates our student-athletes from their peers.
Forty-six percent
Of Nicaraguan children DO NOT ADVANCE beyond ninth grade. Local public schools are overcrowded, teachers are under-trained and underpaid, and a full weekly schedule consists of less than 20 hours of classroom instruction.
To address this issue, Nica Nadadores scholarships are awarded to primary school-aged children all the way through university students working toward their degree. Nica Nadadores allows motivated participants access to higher-achieving schools while relieving their families from the burden of expensive tuition, books, transportation, uniforms, and tutoring.
on the pooldeck
We passionately believe character is built on the pool deck. We started swim classes in a kidney bean shaped backyard pool. Now, we’re regarded as a top team in Central America.
Co-founder Timmy Hayes, along with Coach Gerald Ortiz have built an impressive team with limited resources in a 60-foot, three-lane pool. For our principal training group, practices are DEMANDING – before and after school, as well as in dryland training. Swimming fast is by no means the measurement that we use to gage the success of our program, but effort, leadership, accountability, and heart are the core values we ingrain in our athletes.
Beyond the pool
Nica Nadadores believes in equipping youth with all the skills that they need to succeed - swimming is just the bait on the hook. English immersion is a program that we implemented in 2019 to guarantee that by the end of a swimmer’s evolution through our program they will be bilingual. This ultimately means they will be more attractive for employment locally, or even opportunities at studying or working abroad.
Prior to COVID-19, our team traveled annually to the USA and throughout Central America. Exposing youth to incredible supporters in foreign places is highly empowering for our swimmers, but it has a ripple effect on the people and places they have visited too.
Community first
Our swimmers know they are in a position of privilege to be apart of Nica Nadadores. So much so that they regularly organize outreach opportunities for the community or for fellow Nicaraguans in need. Belonging to the lowest economic class for our student-athletes doesn’t mean they can’t give back. Countless community trash pickups and clothing collections are only two ways our swimmers exemplify leadership in the community.
Our program impresses communities on far sides of the world too. Embracing other cultures during swimmer exchanges or traveling to compete internationally is what we like to refer to as being “injected with gallons of confidence”.
Taking to heart the proverb “free things have no value” we believe in giving our swimmers and their families a “stake” in the program. Each swimmer invests only .75 cents per-month to enroll in Nica Nadadores. Though the stake is not an actual investment, it gives our swimmers and their families a symbolic stake in the future of our organization while confirming their commitment to our team values.
