Recruiting

I really don't know if we'll have any success trying to generate interest in a clinic with former Olympians either, but my point is that if enough of us stand up and scream loud enough the media may at some point start to listen! I agree. One of the key approaches to getting name recognition is exposure and repetition. Results come with some lag, which is pretty normal. As for a USMS funded commercial I never considered that viable, rather a sponsor using swimming (and paying) in its commercials benefits both parties. Which is where we lack manpower with some basic marketing skills, to sell the potential sponsors on the idea of using swimming in their commercials... We even lack the manpower to have people on the lookout for businesses seeking swimmers for commercials! It is our shortcoming that potential commercial casting directors don't know to tap into USMS for 'actors' and have a working partnership. USMS has a small registered group of particpants, however swimming is still the sport with the largest participation in the US (world?) and our group has money and spends it. Also I look at our lack of attracting more membership as an oppurtnity and a challenge....like trying to beat John in the 50 and the only way to succeed is to critically exam how we do things. Our lack of attracting more membership, IMO, is in part due to the stale image of USMS, and in part due to lack of exposure, and lack of support for some of the grassroots marketing efforts. There needs to be a better more comprehensive package with direction, materials and a workshop with a number of how to's. It's one of the number of items in our marketing plan without a body to delegate it to. This in turn brings us to another issue, it requires marketing at level zero, which often starts with a passionate coach or an individual interested in growing a team and a program. At going rates, it is very rare that an individual lile that can make a living doing this full time. Growing a team and a program etc is a full time effort. How do we condition people into paying more fees for their coaching amd memberships when people on the inside nickel and dime everything to death. One example, entry fees for meets. People are afraid to raise fees from, let's say $25 to $30 per entry in fear that theyll drive people away from meets. As a result, you have minimal staff, minimal facility, garage looking production at the meet... well, they end up attracting only a certain type of the individual. All the while same people pay 3, 4 or 5 times higher fees to participate in other sports. You know, lot of people respect things little more when they cost them little more. You're not going to get a whole lot of respect for USMS when their financial mentality is stuck in 1970's, and most people in the organization are afraid to attach appropriate monetary value to their efforts. Somewhere not too long ago I overheard a discussin about a $10 penalty for something (in conjunction with USMS), something that probably costs about $100 of man hours to correct, and I was just shaking my head... Do people really think that $10 in penalties will really send any kind of a message??? Remember the income demographic of our membership!!!! In order to attract quality, you need to allow them to benefit from associationg with you (financially or whatever is attractive to them) ...ugh now you got me started... Entry fees for the nationals being one example. $38 for a 4-5 day National Championship event! Oiii! For one, it really puts the organizers in a najor budgeting mode where you have to count every penny, trather then focus on putting on a first class event! Considering we're talking about the National Championships, USMS's most prestigious event of the year! It's sad that you have to nickle and dime things in order to put it on. Someone was worried about the meet host making too much money and taking advantage of the USMS. Tell ya what, calling 10,000-30,000 too much profit for something that you have to start planing two years ahead is really a slap in the face about how little people's efforts are valued. $38 is dirt cheap for an entry fee to any sort of a national event for which people have supposedly been preparing most of the year. Most other sports national event entry fees range from $200 to $500, and this is with a lot less wealthy demographic. $38 is roughly a price of a one-day pass to the amusement park, or one person dinner in a semi decent restaurant. It's a price majority of people pay for relatively **insignificant** events in their lives. So, now there's some talk about increasing the fee by some 10 bucks. Frankly, I don't think most of the championship comittee gets it. Ten bucks more per swimmer isn't going to get it. It's going to take an increase by one order of magnitude. Or for starters at least double the entry fee. And don't tell me that the organization with our type of demographic can't afford it. Most of you wear tennis shoes that cost more then doubling the entry fee to the nationals would cost. Well, okay, off the soapbox for now.

I really don't know if we'll have any success trying to generate interest in a clinic with former Olympians either, but my point is that if enough of us stand up and scream loud enough the media may at some point start to listen! I agree. One of the key approaches to getting name recognition is exposure and repetition. Results come with some lag, which is pretty normal. As for a USMS funded commercial I never considered that viable, rather a sponsor using swimming (and paying) in its commercials benefits both parties. Which is where we lack manpower with some basic marketing skills, to sell the potential sponsors on the idea of using swimming in their commercials... We even lack the manpower to have people on the lookout for businesses seeking swimmers for commercials! It is our shortcoming that potential commercial casting directors don't know to tap into USMS for 'actors' and have a working partnership. USMS has a small registered group of particpants, however swimming is still the sport with the largest participation in the US (world?) and our group has money and spends it. Also I look at our lack of attracting more membership as an oppurtnity and a challenge....like trying to beat John in the 50 and the only way to succeed is to critically exam how we do things. Our lack of attracting more membership, IMO, is in part due to the stale image of USMS, and in part due to lack of exposure, and lack of support for some of the grassroots marketing efforts. There needs to be a better more comprehensive package with direction, materials and a workshop with a number of how to's. It's one of the number of items in our marketing plan without a body to delegate it to. This in turn brings us to another issue, it requires marketing at level zero, which often starts with a passionate coach or an individual interested in growing a team and a program. At going rates, it is very rare that an individual lile that can make a living doing this full time. Growing a team and a program etc is a full time effort. How do we condition people into paying more fees for their coaching amd memberships when people on the inside nickel and dime everything to death. One example, entry fees for meets. People are afraid to raise fees from, let's say $25 to $30 per entry in fear that theyll drive people away from meets. As a result, you have minimal staff, minimal facility, garage looking production at the meet... well, they end up attracting only a certain type of the individual. All the while same people pay 3, 4 or 5 times higher fees to participate in other sports. You know, lot of people respect things little more when they cost them little more. You're not going to get a whole lot of respect for USMS when their financial mentality is stuck in 1970's, and most people in the organization are afraid to attach appropriate monetary value to their efforts. Somewhere not too long ago I overheard a discussin about a $10 penalty for something (in conjunction with USMS), something that probably costs about $100 of man hours to correct, and I was just shaking my head... Do people really think that $10 in penalties will really send any kind of a message??? Remember the income demographic of our membership!!!! In order to attract quality, you need to allow them to benefit from associationg with you (financially or whatever is attractive to them) ...ugh now you got me started... Entry fees for the nationals being one example. $38 for a 4-5 day National Championship event! Oiii! For one, it really puts the organizers in a najor budgeting mode where you have to count every penny, trather then focus on putting on a first class event! Considering we're talking about the National Championships, USMS's most prestigious event of the year! It's sad that you have to nickle and dime things in order to put it on. Someone was worried about the meet host making too much money and taking advantage of the USMS. Tell ya what, calling 10,000-30,000 too much profit for something that you have to start planing two years ahead is really a slap in the face about how little people's efforts are valued. $38 is dirt cheap for an entry fee to any sort of a national event for which people have supposedly been preparing most of the year. Most other sports national event entry fees range from $200 to $500, and this is with a lot less wealthy demographic. $38 is roughly a price of a one-day pass to the amusement park, or one person dinner in a semi decent restaurant. It's a price majority of people pay for relatively **insignificant** events in their lives. So, now there's some talk about increasing the fee by some 10 bucks. Frankly, I don't think most of the championship comittee gets it. Ten bucks more per swimmer isn't going to get it. It's going to take an increase by one order of magnitude. Or for starters at least double the entry fee. And don't tell me that the organization with our type of demographic can't afford it. Most of you wear tennis shoes that cost more then doubling the entry fee to the nationals would cost. Well, okay, off the soapbox for now.