Matthew Rigsbee
North Carolina Swimming
As I approach the six-year mark of my time as an athlete representative, I have been more than proud to serve my fellow swimmers across the nation. Being an athlete representative is so much more than a cool title and a fun annual trip. Being an athlete representative is the number one way to give back to a sport that we all have loved so much. Being an athlete representative has changed my life. I've built an LSC athlete committee to 90 athletes; led Zone-wide workshops; raised thousands of dollars for swimmers in need; ideated, proposed, and passed numerous pieces of national legislation; and so much more. Now, I am in the works of creating an athlete-focused newsletter and changing the oldest rule in the USA Swimming Rulebook–the 120-day rule. But what's keeping me coming back for my last and final term on the AEC are the relationships I have built with many of you. While I no longer actively practice, swimming is still a large part of my life. I work as a Digital Marketing Executive for an international company, where oftentimes I feel very small. Coming home and doing work with USA Swimming has provided me a place to make larger-than-life impacts on the sport that made me who I am. My governance, communications, and legislative knowledge has allowed me to become a paramount member of the AEC and I hope that you all will give me the chance to run it back for my last term. |