Swim club president denies racism in pool controversy

HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pennsylvania (CNN) - The president of The Valley Swim Club on Friday strongly denied charges of racism after his club canceled the swimming privileges of a nearby day care center whose children are predominantly African-American.

"It was never our intention to offend anyone," said John Duesler. "This thing has been blown out of proportion."

Duesler said his club - which he called "very diverse" - invited camps in the Philadelphia area to use his facility because of the number of pools in the region closed due to budget cuts this summer. He said he underestimated the amount of children who would participate, and the club's capacity to take on the groups was not up to the task.

"It was a safety issue," he said.

The Creative Steps Day Care's director, Alethea Wright, was dismissive of Duesler's comments Friday. "He knows what happened at the pool that day," Wright told CNN in a telephone interview. "I was embarrassed and humiliated."