DAYNA GRIPP RECEIVES USA-S OFFICIAL'S EXCELLENCE AWARD!!

Congratulations to the October winner of the Officials’ Excellence Award: Dayna Gripp from Wyoming Swimming.

Wow, Dayna! Where do we start? The words that come to mind when describing Dayna are commitment, spirit, selfless, humble, visionary, quick-to-action, unafraid, confident, real, and motivating. Dayna is a go-getter with a positive attitude. She has embraced the role of Wyoming Swimming Local Swimming Committee (LSC) officials chair with an enthusiasm that is absorbed by everyone around her. Wyoming Swimming is a geographically diverse and yet, Dayna has continued to promote officials qualifying meets for the LSC to enhance learning opportunities for the officials of Wyoming and Montana. Dayna's enthusiasm has translated to positive results for Wyoming Swimming’s recruitment and retention! 

During Dayna's tenure as the Wyoming Swimming LSC officials chair, she led all of us into territories that at times were dark and unfamiliar. She does this through setting the vision, empowering those around her to build that vision into reality, supporting them, and then celebrating achievements as a whole – as Wyoming Swimming. Those achievements? Driving change throughout the LSC that embraces support and guidance from the national level, but at the same time values and recognizes the independence that makes Wyoming, Wyoming. Developing a culture of officiating that has people excited to be part of the team; a team that has grown to the point that a chief judge team has a tough time figuring out what to do with all of the officials at the recent LSC short course championships. And her latest venture, developing a separate network of fundraising driven by the officials throughout the LSC whose funds will be 100% returned to the athletes of the Wyoming Swimming. Excellence with Dayna . . . nah . . . that would be like calling a Ferrari an excellent automobile when all you can think about is get in, buckle up, and hold on!

Thank you, Dayna!