The National Federation of State High School Associations recently reported that swimming and diving were the fastest-growing high school sports for the 2008-09 academic year. The sports combined grew by 29,967 students for an 11.5 percent increase.

Additionally, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine determined injury patterns in collegiate swimmers. Researchers at University of Iowa documented the injury rates of 44 male and 50 female swimmers from 2002-07, revealing that 37 percent of injuries resulted in missed participation time for the athletes, and that the most commonly hurt body part is the shoulder/upper arm. Higher rates were seen in individuals who were nonfree-style stroke specialists, and freshman swimmers suffered the most injuries and the highest average per swimmer, decreasing with each year of participation.