Ok here's the deal. The school that I go to has swimming club but it's not very good. There's only about 6 or so members, no coach and they don't do anything really. They get together a few times a week and decide what to do, but with no real direction or instruction. Well, when I was talking to one of the lifeguards about why we didn't have a swim team..she didn't really have an answer. I think it would be really cool if I could get something in motion to get a REAL club put together. If I could find a coach for the team then I know I would find tons of interested people...even if it's an online one that writes weekly workouts. We have a decent pool, but apparently one of the reasons we don't have a team yet is cuz they don't think it's good enough. I still think that we should have a team...It's a fine practice pool. So I was wondering if any one had any ideas or information about starting a team. Where can I find a coach? How can I get the right permission? How can I get a team registered to compete in USMS meets? If the team is registerd with USMS can we still compete with other colleges? and so on. Any help that any one could offer would be nothing but help!! Thanx so much!!
~Kyra
Former Member
Why don't you be the coach? Go to the workouts section of this website and print out each week's workouts from Coach Mo or one of the other coaches. If you are going to workout as well, get the team members to show up 10 minutes before workout and explain the workout to them. Organize them in lanes based on skill level and modify the times/distances etc. to the lanes rather than each individual swimmer.
I print workouts from this website for myself because I swim at my local YMCA that doesn't have a coach or a team. You can plan an entire season from these workouts. Start a season with a combination of dry lands and swimming, build yardage through the season toward specific meets you want to enter, taper the workouts in the week before the meet and invite other interested swimmers to come to workouts. Let the swimmers tell you what events and meets they are interested in and you evaluate the team's strengths and weaknesses by what you see in the pool. (A good, large 60 second clock on the side of the pool will help immeasureably so swimmers can determine their split times, leave times, etc.)
I swam competitively when I was in grade school and high school and then coached a summer league team for several years. I followed my coaches' approach to workouts when I began coaching. You obviously have the interest in building the team. So take the initiative. Who else if not you?
Good luck.
Kyra,
1. If you are a team and compete in meets, do you have the ability to host your own meets?
Any group or individual can request a sanction (the approval to run a Masters meet) provided you comply with all the rules of running a Masters meet.
2. Can a USMS team compete with other college teams?
A USMS club can with other college teams. However, either all of the members of the other college team must be USMS members or the competition would need to be unsanctioned by USMS. Another option is to contact the college Athletic Director and see if what it takes to start a club sport.
3. How much does it cost to register a team? or do you just all register individually?
The LMSC sets the rate for club registration and individual membership fees. Each person swimming with a USMS club must be an individual member of USMS. You can get more information about specific fee information by contacting your LMSC chair. Contact information can be found on the USMS.org web site, under the LMSC Info tab
Thank you for the vote of confidence, but I don't think I could coach a team. Especially being 18 and the majority of the members older than I. It did me the idea of maybe taking turns being the coach. Like combining our strengths to watch the other swimmers and offer what we know, so maybe that will work along with the online workouts. But I did think of a few random questions.
1. If you are a team and compete in meets, do you have the ability to host your own meets?
2. Can a USMS team compete with other college teams?
3. How much does it cost to register a team? or do you just all register individuallly?
Im e-mailing the aquatic director soon to propose this idea....and any suggestions of what to say or how to persuade him would also be very helpful. Thanx so much!!
~Kyra
I like the idea of sharing coaching roles with other swimmers. As long as its a loose organization that could work fine. At some point someone will exert more of a coach role or you all will hire someone if the group is successful.
On the other questions, I don' t know enough about the rules of the USMS to answer them. You probably will have insurance and pool rental fees though that need to be addressed. Other colleges probably have certain ruling bodies (like the NCAA) that govern who they compete with unless its on an intramural level or club level. Then you look to the club's governing body - like USMS.
I think the USMS rules are on this website. Have you spoken to coaches at other schools that you have in mind for meets?
If I find some information on your questions, I will send you a note with the link.
