St. Cloud Coach Encourages More Diversity in Swimming

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) — A swimming coach at a St. Cloud high school is working to introduce the sport to more students of color and students with disabilities.

Apollo High School coach Alex Badger is running a spring camp for students in grades 3-8 that's intended to encourage those who might not have been involved in swimming to try the sport.

The camp grew from 33 students last year to 57 this spring. The team also recently welcomed its first Muslim students.

Badger says the program provides after-school transportation and helps cover costs to ensure it's accessible to all students.

She also aims to improve safety by ensuring more students learn to swim. Badger developed the camp two years after a 6-year-old boy with autism drowned in the Mississippi River in 2015.