https://nicanadadores.org/home daily 1.0 2022-06-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1612365311139-SM7JZHOGI7LPKE9BUHZF/_R7A3446.JPG Home - Who are the Nicas Nads? Nica Nadadores, or Spanish for “Nicaraguan swimmers”, is a competitive swim club, community service vehicle, and most importantly, a SCHOLARSHIP INITIATIVE. Every aspect of our organization aligns meticulously with our mission. We push student-athletes daily to lead, improve, and aspire in the pool, classroom, and in their community. Nica Nadadores is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization that relies on financial contributions from supporters in the United States and abroad. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1612365360114-DJ837XQRXFCZQG0XY1BF/IMG_1856.JPG Home - What do we do? We run daily swim practices, conduct monthly community service activities, and mentor on life skills and leadership. However, Nica Nadadores is primarily recognized for the support offered through our SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. Committed student-athletes receive ACADEMIC FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE to study at top performing private schools and universities in Managua, Nicaragua. Our network of coaches, educators, donors, and volunteers work in collaboration to make a QUALITY IMPACT on youth from communities with high rates of poverty. Our goal is to help student-athletes reach their full potential by showing that their progress and success in the pool is transferable to the classroom and beyond. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1612365429175-EZYQJ1PPHPSH8SAJFK6I/_R7A5905.JPG Home - Get involved Our team and our community are a FAMILY. You don’t have to be a swimmer to get involved with the organization. The Nica Nadadores family extends far beyond the pool deck in Nicaragua. Visit the “get involved” section of our website to learn more about student-athlete sponsorships, hosting a swimmer, and volunteer opportunities. Your support changes lives. https://nicanadadores.org/nica daily 0.75 2021-06-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1612191792064-NX6V96Q6E24I7WS952HR/media7.jpg Our team - 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1615751236219-0J9AVOXP1ZL5BAM4H05E/_R7A2558.jpeg Our team - 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1612191673837-Z187VPHT6ZFL7AWUG5V2/_R7A4056.jpeg Our team - 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1612192159360-2EKJ06ZKI02VR2U8QOUA/_R7A2466.jpeg Our team - 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1612192452171-YHGNNA9C3PEPFGMLX5ZT/IMG_1128.jpeg Our team - 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”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1612202242568-YQS1WWP82EX1E4U5E5CF/Johan-750x1000.jpg Our team https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1612202224000-AFCB6Y8WRYCITQLIU0ZQ/amanda2.jpg Our team https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1612202063700-ELVXEJ79H8FUBKNOCWM6/_R7A2595.jpeg Our team https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1612202070490-8WIYPWHANX02GBRUA9BF/35727762791_2fb76af455_o-750x1000.jpg Our team https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1612202155553-VTYG51QHTILHPB1DAHDE/kyara1.jpg Our team https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1612202233694-TMV5WEYRN0NERRMZ6MET/frank1.jpg Our team https://nicanadadores.org/get-involved daily 0.75 2024-02-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1616869300841-F1IGR2D107J7KFH4J5MS/IMG_2922.JPG Get involved - Nica Nads Reporting archive 2023 Annual Report Prior years: 2021 2020 2018 2017 2016 2015 For any other information, please contact Coach Timmy. Nica Nadadores is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization that relies on financial contributions from supporters in the United States and abroad. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/9003e038-3598-4a36-85c0-75df2b523519/IMG_7414.jpg Get involved https://nicanadadores.org/leadership daily 0.75 2023-08-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1616870304126-AHFINS3LDJO2F6GI2I8P/IMG_2939.JPG Leadership https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1616870368423-870R0AOISPP1D0AXXWTG/IMG-5370.jpg Leadership https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1616870330915-FL2RHLP3MOTHFMR9GNFH/scot+bio+pic.jpg Leadership https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1616870576216-GAL5BYLZOIBABHT38NEB/_DSC7862.JPG Leadership - COACH DANA HAYES Dana Hayes is wife of co-founder Timmy Hayes and has lived in Nicaragua full-time since 2014. Dana works part time as the Development Manager & Nicaragua Site Administrator for Manna Project International – a nonprofit in Managua that works in health, livelihood, and education. Dana’s runs English Immersion programs for Nica Nadadores, assists with marketing materials, and coordinates travel visas for student-athletes traveling or studying abroad. Dana is an avid practitioner of martial arts and lifelong dog lover. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/ef76b3d2-2f91-4f08-a792-7f74db654f8f/IMG_6739.JPG Leadership - nicaraguan leadership Our mission of empowering the next generation of leaders is our number one priority. The most sustainable and positive way to nurture our mission is through investing in Nicaraguan coaches. Hamilton Treminio started out as a swimmer with Nica Nadadores at the age of 12. In 2022, Hamilton began a more active role coaching novice groups and leading community service initiatives. Hamilton is a highly accomplished swimmer and he is in his second year of an engineering degree at Universidad Americana (UAM). Hamilton speaks strong English, he has traveled internationally to compete, and he has earned the respect of every swimmer in our program. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1612197043440-QWPHS3HFVYY89C42M9PY/IMG_2962.JPG Leadership - volunteer opportunities In June of 2015 Nica Nadadores played host to our very first program intern. Since then, we’ve been lucky enough to collaborate with numerous volunteers, high school groups, and interns who have made an impact on our organization with their creativity, intelligence, passion, curiosity and drive. Swimmers and non-swimmers have spent days or months on the ground in Managua experiencing the process of what it takes to empower young leaders. The Nica Nadadores internship program is not for the faint of heart. Interns and volunteers have tackled difficult projects and the common theme among our visitors is a high resolve to get the job done. Although teaching swimming is part of the volunteer experience, we pride ourselves in giving our volunteers real responsibility. We expect a high level of self-initiative and help with data collection for grant applications, community census to gage our participant’s needs, manual labor to maintain our facility, and assisting in promoting the Nica Nadadores brand. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1612194904794-2KVX7EEB3N438UFDG3HN/usaNica1.jpeg Leadership - join our team today You can contribute to building one of the best youth development organizations in the Americas. There are several ways to help the program without traveling to Nicaragua including hosting a swimmer, sponsoring a swimmer, organizing a fundraising event, collecting equipment or supplies, or even just sharing our social media posts. We’d love to have you on the ground in Nicaragua with us. If you want to feel immersed in our community and make an impact on our swimmers than please reach out to us directly. https://nicanadadores.org/community daily 0.75 2021-06-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1612365653325-F3658HO1KF0FS5KU3RBA/IMG_0400.JPG Our Community - Our neighborhood According to the Human Development Index, Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Children in Chiquilistagua often suffer from improper nourishment, insufficient water sources, and poor access to basic infrastructure. A community survey of over 200 community members indicated that 93% of residents cannot swim in water deeper than their heads. The neighborhoods we serve are not reflective of the urban poverty typically seen in the United States. To a casual observer, it is difficult to spot houses from the main road that runs through different barrios — instead, the area is populated by people living in crowded series of rural, dirt-floor huts nestled under the shade of large trees. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1611349932665-Y14DHWR7YJE1K0QAOIW8/IMG_0393.jpeg Our Community - ¿QUE ONDA? Some of the first words that you’ll hear from any stranger’s mouth in Nicaragua is, “¿Que onda?” or in English, “What’s up?!” This recognizable greeting is symbolic of the embracing Nicaraguan culture. In our home of Chiquilistagua, a community in southwest Managua about thirty minutes from the city’s center, the local people will treat you like one of their own. Nica Nadadrores places a great deal of importance on our position of influence in the community of Chiquilistagua. Behind every individual that enrolls in our program is a promise not just to that swimmer, but also to the community we serve where living conditions pose a daily challenge to our swimmers and their families. Accessing information, proper sanitation, and dietary concerns are just a few of the difficulties associated with living in poverty in Chiquilistagua. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1611338183883-PZ1TB6L2HMJ15PS3KGNL/usaNica.jpeg Our Community https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1611338138783-KKEDU9XVF2046TZX868T/IMG_0291.jpeg Our Community https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1616870118139-HUGK217N3G000MRPSU8Z/IMG_1286.JPG Our Community - The kids When people hear that we work with low-income youth, they assume our participants come from broken homes and third-world violence. Nica Nadadores student-athletes come from truly little privilege in life, but countless success stories can be told about their positive development. We are empowering the next generation daily – literally. We place high importance on tracking metrics and data to record their academic and athletic growth; we even collect details such as a family’s monthly income to see how our program changes economic upward-mobilization. However, we consider their CHARACTER as the most important aspect of maturation.Our swimmers become interested in Nica Nadadores for a variety of reasons, but you can be sure that being a coachable, respectful, and consummate team player are a huge part of our evaluation in their improvement.We teach Nica Nadadores student-athletes to look you in the eyes when talking, shake your hand with confidence, and have integrity. These are difference-makers that might not show up on paper. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/600318653753c24df242fb4f/1611952237643-8J9D00GMXXK9N1R2ETAN/IMG_0411.jpeg Our Community - The families Nica Nadadores has grown from the first swim class with only seven kids to serve close to 100 youth and our intention is to keep our impact focused and concise. We are not a traditional swim team – every participant’s parent has our cell phone number and knows no hesitation in calling for help at any hour of the day. Our swimmers’ families open their homes to share dinners with fellow teammates or visiting volunteers. Keeping our membership about quality rather than quantity ensures our ability to care for and protect the valuable relationships we’ve built within the community. Our organization commands a level of trust and respect that in many cases is stronger than family. Moms and dads embrace the tough love that their children receive from Nica Nadadores because they know we have their son’s or daughter’s best interest in mind.