• April 1, 2005

USA Swimming, the nation's governing body for competitive swimming, yesterday said it has joined forces to promote a safe summer at the pool with Alloy, Inc., a provider of online media, direct marketing, and retail services for teens and "tweens." Using Alloy's in-school publication, 360 School Voice, and a targeted e-mail campaign, they plan to invite 30,000 elementary schools around the United States to take part in USA Swimming's third annual April Pool's Day.

Starting April 1, students from kindergarten to the sixth grade will be encouraged to log on to winpoolparty.com and sign the USA Swimming Water Safety Pledge, which doubles as a vote for their school to win the Ultimate Pool Party! The four schools with the most votes nationwide each win an Ultimate Pool Party celebration, with an appearance by a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic swim team. In addition, the winning schools each get a $1,000 donation from USA Swimming to help with school programs. Four runners-up schools will receive $500 apiece.