Barton Replaces Robins on USAAS Board

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Claire Barton will serve as the next Athlete-At-Large for the Athlete Executive Council and the USA Artistic Swimming Board of Directors. She replaces Megan Robins who dedicated four years to the role, serving from 2017-2021. The position is directly elected by athletes. While the position is a two-year term, candidates can apply for re-election at the end of their first term. 

The Athlete At-Large Representative attends all monthly Board of Directors meetings and acts as a voting member of the collective. Their voice will be key in making decisions that influence the organization. Claire will also attend monthly Athlete Executive Council calls and will serve as a voting member of the committee, helping the group to focus on initiatives to improve the overall athlete experience. In the initial search, it was identified that the ideal candidate would be an individual passionate about improving the artistic swimming athleteexperience and interested in becoming an active member of our community.

Claire Barton hails from the Bay Area. She competed with the Santa Clara Aquamaids. She competed as a member of the national team at the 2015 FINA World Championships where she helped the team to 10th in tech team, 2015 US Open where the tech team was awarded first and the 2015 UANA Pan American Games where the squad placed third. She also competed at the 2014 FINA World Junior Championships where she helped the junior national team to an 8th place finish. Claire’s extensive national team and competitive club experience makes her well-prepared to represent the USAAS athlete voice in organizational decisions. 

USA Artistic Swimming would like to thank Megan Robins for volunteering her time over the past four years to better the organization. In Megan’s time in the At-Large role, she has assisted with the creation of the Athlete Bill of Rights, helped interview and hire the organization's CEO and worked with the board on multiple structural changes such as the name transition to Artistic Swimming and the creation of the VP of DEI role.

"It's been such a pleasure working with Megan these past few years. Her level of dedication towards ensuring that the athlete perspective is acknowledged and effectively implemented into practice was absolutely incredible. Megan was an active contributor in all of our conversations and analyzed everything with so much specificity and depth. Her love and desire to continuously improve the athlete experience radiated with every interaction and the organization was truly so lucky to have her in this position. I am so immensely excited to welcome Claire on Board with her new role as the Athlete-at-Large representative. I have so much confidence that she will be excellent in this role, as she has the character, ambition, and intelligence that makes her an incredible athlete representative. I am so excited to see what we will accomplish together," Emma Tchakmakjian, Athlete Executive Council President, said. 

"I'm honored the athletes of USA Artistic Swimming have elected me as their representative. After participating in this sport as an athlete for many years, I'm looking forward to participating in a new way and enhancing the experience for our swimmers," Barton said. 

Megan echoed similar confidence in Claire’s capabilities as she passes the baton: "I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the Board of Directors and Athlete Executive Council over the last four years. I have seen the organization go through such amazing change during this time, and I'm very hopeful for what the future holds for USAAS! Claire will be a great addition to the strong group of athlete representatives on the board and I'm excited to see what she accomplishes in the role."