“Swami” comes from co-founder Matt Finnigan's swimming days at the Los Altos Aquatic Club under the late Kevin Perry, one of the finest coaches USA Swimming has had. In the early eighties “KP” called his athletes Swamis. It was never a religious or cultural term; it meant they were ready to learn something new every day and to master their craft, in the water and out of it. He gave them books, told them stories about Soichi Sakamoto and the Three Year Swim Club, and held contemplation sessions weeks later about what they had read.

One Saturday, instead of practice, Perry took his whole senior group to a pool in Belle Haven and they taught lessons all morning. Years later he told Finnigan, “someone's gotta do it, to make a difference.” When the program was founded it was only right to pay him that respect. “Race” was added for the simple love of racing: kids want to see how fast they can go, whether against the swimmer in the next lane, the clock, or themselves.