Swim 4 Nick in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

On March 21, Swim4Nick will host a one-mile ocean race to honor the life of Nicholas (Nick) Dworet and raise money for the Nicholas Dworet Memorial Fund, a 501c(3) charity. The swim will take place at Dania Beach, just outside of Fort Lauderdale. Registration is now open.

The event is expected to attract between 350-400 swimmers between several categories, and the weather is expected to be beautiful, with water temperatures already reaching the 70’s at the start of March.

What is Swim4Nick?

Swi4Nick is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to “keep Nick’s memory alive by helping kids learn how to be better swimmers.” Nick was known as someone who always went out of his way to help friends and teammates be better. Nick was a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. He left a lasting impact on the community, and as a member of the swim team and local swim community, spread the sport he loved with others.

The organization hosts swims and clinics. In 2019, over 100 kids registered for the Swim4Nick Swim Clinic. Swim4Nick clinics, hosted for middle and high school-aged youth, are free, and financial assistance is provided to families in need of access to swimming lessons.

The fund solely uses volunteers and has no overhead and spends all proceeds on its mission.

Why Get Involved in Swim4Nick?

We talked with event representative Carla Albano about the swim. “The race is just a few days before what would have been his 20th birthday,” says Carla. “Swimmers stick together; they honor each other -- this is a way to express personal grief with like-minded friends and neighbors.”

The swim is intended to keep his memory alive rather than allowing his life to only be remembered as a victim. The race will give competitive and recreational swimmers a meaningful challenge, and will expose swimmers and local residents to open water swimming. “I think young swimmers in Florida are not exposed to the open water as much as they could be, and this event will be a great thing for open water swimming,” says Carla. “We would like to thank Odyssey Open Water Swimming, who has been instrumental in helping us setup this event, providing us with vital guidance that made it possible,” Carla states.

Learn more and register here! If you’re not able to participate in this event, organizers are considering hosting satellite events outside the state of Florida in the future. Contact organizers at nicholasdworetfund@gmail.com to learn more.