Chris Davis doesn’t mince words. The longtime SwimAtlanta head coach, founder, and CEO joined us for a candid conversation that cuts to the heart of where club swimming is—and where it needs to go.
In this episode of the GMM Podcast by SwimOutlet.com, we sit down with one of the most respected figures in American coaching. Chris Davis is the godfather of club swimming in the United States. He has been in the game since 1977, when he launched SwimAtlanta with just 28 swimmers. Today, his club spans seven locations, serves over 1,800 athletes, and has produced five Olympians. Additionally, he is widely considered the entrepreneur of entrepreneurs in aquatic sports, building a successful aquatic business, and mentoring countless other coaches who have sought his guidance and then gone on to launch superteams of their own across the nation.
But Davis isn’t on the mic to relive glory days. He’s here to explain the radical shift SwimAtlanta made by embracing dual-registration with AAU, and why he believes the entire swim ecosystem needs to evolve.
💬 “At least half our swimmers never race in USA Swimming meets. Why are we paying for what they’ll never use?”
That question sparked an editorial on SwimSwam that’s already reverberating through the coaching community—and now, Davis joins the podcast to expand on that message. Topics include:
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Why SwimAtlanta moved hundreds of swimmers off USA Swimming registration (and he registers all of his swimmers AAU first)
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How AAU insurance and meet sanctioning are changing the game for clubs striving to save on cost and streamline management
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The business-side breakdown: how his model saved $50,000 per year
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Why USA Swimming needs external pressure to innovate
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And why giving clubs options isn’t disloyal—it’s necessary
Davis also reflects on his four-plus decades in the sport, the state of swimming in 2025, and the next generation of coaches stepping into leadership roles.
This episode isn’t just a must-listen for coaches—it’s essential for anyone who cares about the future of grassroots swimming.
EDITOR NOTE: USA Swimming is 320 days into their search for a Chief Executive (CEO). They are now working through their third round of potential candidates after their first candidate withdrew. The first candidate, Chrissi Rawak, withdrew from the position of USA Swimming CEO when USA Swimming became aware of a SafeSport complaint regarding her conduct while a coach at the University of Michigan. In this podcast Mel Stewart speculates on the cost of USA Swimming’s CEO and National Team Director search. He speculates based on USA Swimming history and current executive search firm rates. Before publishing we did reach out to USA Swimming for clarity and insight on the cost of USA Swimming’s executive search, and USA Swimming has not responded yet. If or when they do, we will update this podcast post with that information.
EDITOR NOTE UPDATE: USA Swimming staff did respond quickly to our request, however, because this is a USA Swimming Board responsibility, staff must wait for the USA Swimming Board to okay and confirm the response. SwimSwam will update this post as soon as the statement is provided.
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Many thanks to Swimoutlet.com for their 13 years partnership and support of this swimming news and media.
This is a Gold Medal Media production presented by SwimOutlet.com. Host Gold Medal Mel Stewart is a 3-time Olympic medalist and the co-founder of SwimSwam.com, a Swimming News website.
Opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the interviewed guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the hosts, SwimSwam Partners, LLC and/or SwimSwam advertising partners.
Grew up on So Cal. AAU was where everyone registered. Swam from age group to college. This was a great interview. Lots of topics to cover with this discussion. I started owned, bought and operated businesses and sold them all off. Swimming business just like other businesses but have to know the sport and industry. Why does USA swimming run swimming. Why cant individual and team coaches just start a consortium and hold meets? Forget USA Swimming.
Folks: 1960s and 70s AAU and The Y were THE places to swim. AAU led to JO’s and other meets. Mel: a great interview and a great topics. This deserves much more coverage, esp. with Chris Daley, who has been observing for many many years. I’ll also presume others who are successful can contribute too!
I grew up swimming AAU and YMCA. I actually called my age group coach and asked when I started USAs year-round. My coach said I did not swim USAs year round until I made Jr Nationals. Most of my age group years were based around spring and summer JO STATE CHAMPS (in NC), which were AAU meets. And JO State Champs was huge deal, lots of excitement, loud with endless cowbell. Great memories!
Yes, that is all we had in 60s and 70s if you weren’t lucky enough to have an HS team. As I recall, our JOs were done by district, (in my case Adirondack), I believe. The regionals, where the top finish(ers) went on to National JOs was much smaller (our region was Adirondack and Niagara Districts). Wow, the good old days! We probably swam uphill against the tide!
Yes they called it National JO’s which is now Jr Nationals.
…and, yes, we have more club coaches scheduled to come on the podcast.
Lots of 20 yard pool practices in my youth! Excellent. Like all youth sports, competing associations/organizations for enrollments and the title of producing “the best”. money and reputations at stake.
Just a reminder: Everyone benefits from USA Swimmings robust support of the national team and national team development. (And) This interview started by listing Coach Davis’s accolades that were significantly enabled by USA Swimming’s development infrastructure. If Coach Davis really feels that most of his team does not benefit from what USA swimming does, then so be it. But I think pointed criticism is better than blanket condemnation.
This comment is unfair and off-base. Chris’ interview might sound like a blanket condemnation, however, if you listen to the entire interview, Chris Davis says he believes in and has benefited from the USAs ecosystem–BUT that support, specifically at the club level, has waned over the last 15 years. And, Chris is not alone. A lot of club coaches and club owners and parent-run boards are saying the same thing…. ZThomas, I love the National Team. I was on the USAs National Team for over 10 years, and I managed the National Team Alumni from 2007-2022. I absolutely want our National Team supported (hell, I want them to get more than they are getting RIGHT NOW), and I want our… Read more »
I listened to the entire interview and genuinely enjoyed it. I don’t believe I’ve misrepresented anyone—but if I have, I sincerely apologize. I value robust discussion, and Chris is undoubtedly someone worth listening to. The same goes for you.
To reinforce your point: my first experience with USA Swimming’s elite development pathway was deeply disappointing. I shared my concerns with Braden, and his response was simply, “Yup, that’s how it goes.”
That said, one quote in the article really stood out to me: “Why should (his AAU) swimmers pay for what they never use?” I find that perspective troubling. It seems to leave no room for the idea that USA Swimming’s investment in elite development benefits the entire swimming community—even… Read more »
…and I might’ve responded too harshly. I’m angry Team USA isn’t being leveraged and supported more…and I see Club Swimming as the driver, a core biz model that we’ve allowed to languish. So, having a deeper “think” on this. Will come back.
Ok. I read. And I understand your point, HOWEVER, you are MISSING an enormous piece to the puzzle. USA Swimming is the Olympic arm, they are tasked with fielding an elite team, and, yes, that is a big expense. HOWEVER, your assumption (and most peoples’ assumption) that that cost should fall on the shoulders of CLUB TEAMS (the base) is false. Not true. It is a lie based in laziness we all have accepted. THE TRUTH: Being the Olympic Arm of swimming is pure power, a very powerful brand upon which commercial opportunity is vast. USAs is only limited by a lack a creativity and grit to chase it. IN SUM, the commercial division should not only support the National… Read more »
100% agree
Come again? How does EVERYONE benefit? In fact, it’s only the top 0.01% elites that benefit from that robust support. USAS needs to do more to support its clubs — the pipeline to that National Team
…I meandered badly in my response, but you nailed it. There’s no way around this topic. Club Swimming drives the grassroots and that’s the pipeline to the national team. Period.
I was a mediocre swimmer. But I saw the pursuit of excellence. Gary Hall Jr fixating over feet position on the block (while swimmers waited “patiently” behind for their turn!). It taught me something. Legitimately questioning for a moment if 1:55 was a yards swim taught me something (that happened when I overheard John Vogel talking about it, Mel). In life, I’ve had “some” success. These experiences mattered to me. Or maybe I’m too nostalgic.
…see my comment above. Nat Team/Olympic Team should be supported 100% by the commercial division of USAs—not member dues / club dues.
Can you imagine the NBA or MLB using the same model as USAS and relying on money raised by youth basketball and baseball teams across the country? I know those are different sports with large fan bases that pay ticket prices etc, however, it is the job of the commercial division of USAS to come up with create ways to sell the sport to raise the funds for things like the National Team. The current model makes it too easy for them to not be creative as they can fall back on the money raised by the grass root teams.
I would love to know who the 3 down votes are on your comment, Jeff. To be clear, these are people who believe swimmers/swim parents/clubs should pay (and they probably like higher and higher dues) rather than our leadership working to create and find new revenue on the commercial side. I see this, and I feel like my head is about to explode! Tell me you are lazy without telling me you are lazy. Or, tell me you think the current state of the sport is fine and dandy without saying it.
Mel I believe the club level and the commercial division are stakeholders in each other’s success, and that financial support should flow in both directions. This isn’t based on believing a lie —it’s what I genuinely believe to be true.
I won’t argue that there aren’t issues at the corporate level—some decisions, including the recent CEO situation, are difficult to understand.
Unfortunately, recent major downstream expenditures appear to be liability-related payouts. It wouldn’t surprise me if, over the past few years, more money has flowed downstream through those payoffs than upstream via dues. Not to mention it has made extracting full value from corporate sponsors difficult. That’s all the more reason for better stewardship by the C- suite and… Read more »
You’re going “inside baseball” but you’re not sharing your name. Also, I think I’m far more qualified to comment on commercial value and what fair market is, and why or why USA Swimming has not extracted full value—since 90% of their partners are my partners (and, of course, I have 10,20, even 30 year relationships on the commercial side). So, provide more insight into recent downstream expenditures, though I probably know what you’re referring to… And this whole “I believe the club level and commercial division are stakeholders in each other’s success + that financial support should flow both ways” is purely perspective. It’s splitting hairs. So, yeah, agreed, they are two arms on one body, and you need both… Read more »
First five minutes not starting off good for this guy’s current swimmers, lol.
They’re all soft! All of ’em!
If everyone jumped ship and went to AAU, it wouldn’t be long before they became “the man” and everyone would be complaining about them, too. There is no perfect system.
That’s said, if USA Swimming is indeed losing its base, the lack of leadership certainly doesn’t help. How bout a CEO, guys?
From what I gather talking to older coaches, you basically just described how USA Swimming got started in the first place.
I was a swimmer (10 years old) back when we left AAU for USS (which is now USA Swimming). The rub was a lack of focus on swimming (AAU is all sports). The Ted Stevens Act passed, and 1978-1984 most club swimming registered USS/USAs. Interestingly, by 1992, my Olympic year, coaches were already discussing going back to AAU because USAs was too focused on the Olympics (the top 1%) and not club swimming (the base). So, this tension has always existed, but USAs has managed overtime to hold the line and keep the culture under their banner… Here’s some interesting history. In the early 2000s DIVING registration was mostly USA Diving (under the Olympic banner) and coaches got feed up… Read more »
Good stuff…I didn’t know that about diving.
Coach Davis great interview as always. Challenging the Status Quo. Then you have the Water Polo Junior Olympics killing it this week in Socal. Teams flying from all over the country to compete in games all over Socal. Any player entered in the meet can go to “meet and greets” with National Team members and Olympians. This versus the perception that we only focus on the top 1% in swimming. Instead we pay exorbitant meet fees for the privilege to compete in time consuming, oversubscribed, monster meets in Socal. How do we not see it. In Socal. we are going on our fourth meet in 4 weeks. How is this good for anyone? Lately drive around southern california and you… Read more »
Flag football is taking off like a rocket…and for all the reasons you mentioned, but for the parents the reason are clear. They can go to the game, cheer for 90 minutes then go to the pizza party.
AAU seems like it works great if you have a program like SwimAtlanta, which is essentially a self-sustaining ecosystem that has existed for over 50 years. In that case, you can take the huge number of developmental/recreational swimmers and run everything through AAU to keep costs down, which is awesome.
What about for me, and my upstart team of 20 swimmers in a different part of the country? Well, I spoke to the AAU rep in my region and she didn’t really have any answers regarding local competitions, national competitions, or really anything else that would convince me AAU was the realistic competition USA Swimming needs. We had no local competitions scheduled at all, and her plan for national competitions… Read more »
Good question. I asked AAU. Will comeback here.
That’s my coach!!!!