The UB Interview: Olympian Cullen Jones Talks ‘Tour of Champions’

Olympic medalists Cullen Jones and Maritza Correia McClendon, two of the most influential figures in aquatic sports and water-safety advocacy—will headline the Tour of Champions, Diversity in Aquatics’ signature community outreach initiative during Celebration Bowl Week.

The Tour brings Olympic athletes, HBCU swimmers, and community leaders directly into schools across Atlanta for an interactive experience featuring:
• Engaging conversations
• Water-safety education
• Increasing access to pools
• Storytelling centered on representation, generation disparities, leadership, and community
• Exposure to athletes who look like and reflect the students they meet

“The Tour of Champions” builds energy and awareness leading into the 2025 Diversity in Aquatics HBCU Celebration Weekend, emphasizing how swimming strengthens health, confidence, and community while addressing drowning disparities.

Celebration Bowl Weekend is a critical gathering to honor history, expand aquatic access, and build pathways for the next generation of swimmers and water-safe families.

Aries from UB caught up with Olympic medalists Cullen Jones to talk about the “Water Safety Festival?”

Cullen shares what people can expect from the festival and why he has participated for four years now.

Plus he gets candid on Blacks being afraid of the water and the joy of swimming.

And Cullen shares his biggest accomplishment, what’s next and more!

UrbanBridgez.com: Tell us about the Water Safety Festival.
Cullen Jones: You know, this is my fourth year being a part of the Water Safety Festival. I’m also on the board for diversity in aquatics.
And we know that when it comes to swimming, when it comes to black and brown communities, the drowning rates are disproportionately higher. We can trail this back to slavery, we can trail this back to access, there’s a number of different reasons. But we understand that when you start looking at people like Maritza McClendon, Jamal Hill, Daria Rose, Destin Lasco, there’s a ton of people of color that are swimming. And there’s one thing that has led them to whether it was the Olympics, like myself or world record, what have you to the medal podium, it all started with access. And our goal this weekend is to get people especially in the Atlanta area. So we are excited to be bringing it back with with more excitement with more things to bring to the community. But the number one mission, is to get people to understand the importance of swimming through access.

UrbanBridgez.com: I love that. And then what kind of things can people expect at the festival and Tour of Champions?
Cullen Jones: So for the tour of champions, a couple of those names, Maritza McClendon, Jamal Hill, Daria Rose, Destin Lasco, and myself are going to go from school to school, we’re going to go to Seaborne Lee Elementary, we’re going to be at Camp Creek Middle School. And then we’re going to go to a high school, we’re going to go to Charles R. Drew High School. And again, we’re going to be able to flash medals, get people excited, but really tell our journey. I nearly drowned at the age of five. That’s what got me into swimming. I was at a water park, fully supervised by my parents. And I was able to still go underwater while being fully supervised. So we know that these types of stories resonate with a lot of people. Representation is everything. So our goal is to show especially these kids in all of these different schools that whatever you put your mind to, you can do it. We’re not saying anything bad about football, track and basketball, because those are stereotypically what we expect to see Black and Brown families kind of tend to, you know, lean towards. But we want people to understand that swimming is not only an amazing sport, it’s a life skill that everyone needs to learn.

UrbanBridgez.com: Good words. And then you kind of answered this question, but why was it important for you to be a part of this festival? I mean, you mentioned doing it for four years, but then the story you just told me about almost drowning seems like a connection as well.
Cullen Jones: Nearly drowning at five and then becoming a world record holder and an Olympian. I believe in irony, Aries. I believe in irony. So for me, it’s just, very close to my heart. I grew up in the Baptist faith and it took a village to get me to the Olympics. And you’ll hear from a lot of the other Olympians, the same thing. So we really want to impress upon these young folks, the importance of learning to swim, but also that you can do whatever you put your mind to, even if it looks like something that other people may not expect. A lot of people did not expect me to make the Olympic team and to be able to do what I’ve done. And so representation is key. We’re role models for a lot of these young people and we want to continue to do that. So we have a number of things this week that are really focused on doing that. We have a screening of a documentary that most of the names that I’ve said are in, that’s going to be on Thursday night. We have, of course, the Public Water Safety Festival on Friday. And then we have the, they’re going to make me swim, man (laughs). They’re going to make my retired butt get in the pool and swim on Saturday morning for an alumni swim meet. And then of course, capping and partnering with ESPN and the Celebration Bowl, we’ll be activating the air as well. So fun filled, full weekend. But again, the importance of learning to swim, we could not be pushing that message any stronger.

UrbanBridgez.com: You mentioned Olympians, like yourself. Talk about and tell us a little about some of the HBCU Olympic medalists, because we don’t hear a lot about that. Google told me there’s a lot.
Cullen Jones: Well, there are a lot of, there are a lot of Olympians. There aren’t a lot of HBCU Olympians. And that’s the problem. We know that there’s only one HBCU that has a competitive swim team and that’s Howard University. And so we’re trying, I know Coach Nick is doing his best because while we do see quite a few people of color coming through the high school and the age group curriculum of swimming, or I guess the journey line, what we’re not seeing is a lot of them making it to other schools. They have to go to other schools that are white dominated and not go to HBCUs because there’s only one. And Coach Nick is doing the best he can, but he can only have a roster of so many. So that’s why it’s so important that we’re at Morehouse. We’re trying to get people to understand that this is important in the black and brown communities. We want legislation. We want people to understand that we should be opening up pools. If you look back 30 years ago, just 30 years ago, there was like 17, 18 HBCUs with swim teams. Now we’re down to one. We’re really trying to fight to try to fix that because we do, as you said, we want to see HBCUs having Olympic medalists on their roster and we’re not far from it. We just got to open up these pools.

UrbanBridgez.com: Good stuff. Keep sharing information. I like that. And then you got to tell everybody that’s in Atlanta and surrounding areas why they need to pull up to the Celebration Swim Meet and Water Safety Festival, December 11th through the 13th?
Cullen Jones: Well, you know, it’s going to be a party. You know, we don’t do it unless it’s a family function. So that’s why we want people to come. It’s going to be at Archer Hall at Morehouse College. So make sure you come out to do it. We’re going to have black-owned businesses that are around water. So we’re going to talk about some of the main key things that we know that are barriers. Number one, of course, is fear. We understand that a lot of people in our community are afraid of the water, whether that be that grandma that said, you know, we don’t do that. Don’t get into that water or that uncle that pushed someone in expecting swimming to just be natural. We are here to heal. Water is healing. We are here to heal. We understand exactly where you are coming from. I nearly drowned, so I can speak and empathize with anybody. But it’s also a celebration of getting people to understand that when they walk in, they’re going to see people that are swimmers that look like them. So we want people to come out and not be afraid to get near the water, of course, to be present, to understand the messaging that we’re putting out there, and of course, to walk away with all the information that they can continue to progress in their journey of learning to swim. Because again, for so long, our community has been told swimming is not for them, pools are not for them. We know that that’s not the case. We need to make sure that we are not telling ourselves that this is something we don’t do because we’re losing our black and brown babies way too young, and we are losing them because of a stigma that’s been on us for over 400 plus years, and we need to change that.

UrbanBridgez.com: Hopefully a lot of people come out when they see our piece that didn’t even know about it. Before we wrap up, I have to ask you, what’s been one of your biggest accomplishments thus far?
Cullen Jones: You know, because I have a family, and my wife will kill me if I don’t say my son, my son is my number one accomplishment. Yes, the world record. Yes, two gold medals, two silver medals. That is all great, but a lot of people say, what do you do now? I work for the U.S. Olympic Committee. I’m on the board for USA Swimming Foundation. I’m on the board for diversity and aquatics, of course, because the goal is to make sure that my son doesn’t have to go through what I went through. When he looked up at me at three years old and said, Daddy, I want to swim, I started thinking about all the racist things that I went through, and I was like, I do not want this for my son. The biggest accomplishment now is every day that I get to wake up and do what I can to make this sport look like America, which looks like everybody, and I want that for my son. Every day is a day. If I get a little closer, that’s my greatest accomplishment.

UrbanBridgez.com: There you go, I Love that. What’s next for you?
Cullen Jones: Now, I just took a job for the U.S. Olympic Committee. The big job now is really looking towards the next two Olympics. I’m going to be in Milan for the Winter Olympics. It’ll be my first Winter Olympics, but then all eyes are on L.A. We have a home Olympics, so we’re really excited. I know swimming is a marquee sport, but gymnastics, track, I am now over all 60 sports, so I’m really excited to see and get my hands into what the Olympics is truly about from a standpoint of not only being a part of the organization that is holding it, but also, I get to watch in all 60 sports and try to help in all 60 sports, so really excited about how I can contribute.

UrbanBridgez.com: Then is there anything else you want to share before we wrap up?
Cullen Jones: Yeah. I would say for anyone that needs information, please go to the Diversity in Aquatics website.
When it comes to swimming, it’s not a privilege. It’s a right, and we want people to understand the importance of going out there and understanding that this is something that you’ve been told for so long you don’t do and you’ve been pulled. This right has been taken from you. That’s what this weekend is about, teaching people to understand that this is a right for you to go out there and learn to swim. Keep your family safe, because we understand that if your child or a parent doesn’t know how to swim, there’s an 11% chance that that child will learn how to swim. Now, conversely, if one parent knows how to swim, there’s an 88% chance that that family and that child will learn how to swim. That’s how big of a gap we’re trying to fix this weekend. So come on out. Very excited to meet everybody. Come see the medals. Come hop in the pool with me, and let’s save some lives.

UrbanBridgez.com: My mama didn’t know how to swim, and I still don’t know how to swim, so there’s truth in that statistic.
Cullen Jones: So I’ll see you in the pool. I already heard it, Aries. That’s what I heard. I heard you’re going to be in the pool.

UrbanBridgez.com: I’m down, I’ve always been scared. But I definitely want to thank you for taking time out to speak with me. I’ve enjoyed speaking with you. I want you to continue success, and good luck with the festival and everything else you got coming up.
Cullen Jones: I appreciate that, and continued success to you as well!

December 11-13th

Thursday, December 11 – Tour of Champions + Film Premiere
• Olympians & Diversity in Aquatics ambassadors visit Atlanta-area schools for water safety education and inspiration
• Evening Film Premiere: “When Everyone Swims” documentary private screening with live panel discussion
Friday, December 12 – Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA
Join us for the Water Safety Day program on Friday, December 12th. This event promises a wide range of exciting in-water and dryland activities, honoring Harold Head, offered by local and nationally recognized organizations, for experienced and novice swimmers, and includes:

• Interactive Water Safety Stations
• Harold Head Youth Developmental Swim Meet
• Serving local schools and community youth
• Learning from Olympians and engaging in water safety activities with notable public figures, celebrities, personalities, DIA and aquatic partners
• Community Resource Fair connecting families to ongoing swim lessons and safety programs.

Saturday, December 13 — HBCU Alumni Swim Meet + Community Resource Engagement (Morehouse College)
• Former HBCU swimmers, alumni, Olympians, notable figures, and special guests compete, support, and sponsor in a high-energy exhibition meet.
• Family engagement areas and health & wellness partners are active throughout the day.

Art-Based Water Safety Education
• “POOL: A Social History of Segregation” Award Winning Exhibition
• Dec 10–13 (Omni Hotel): Reimagined POOL Traveling Exhibit and ongoing collaboration with exhibit creator Habithéque Inc. presented in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Dec 12–13 (Morehouse College): Trade Show Edition highlighting history, culture, and innovation in aquatics