Massachusetts-based Commonwealth Swim Team has expanded its operation, acquiring two new sites, with training facilities across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.
According to emails from the club’s Head Coach Chris Sheppard, the team recently announced the acquisiton of Seekonk Aquatics and a merge with Solo Aquatics, with the two sites becoming known as Commonwealth South and Commonwealth North, respectively.
Commonwealth South, formerly known as Seekonk Aquatics, primarily operates out of the Ellis Mayers Natatorium at Seekonk High School in Massachusetts. The team also has access to two other training facilities in the state of Rhode Island: the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatic Center at Brown University and the PODS Aquatic Center in Providence. Prior to being renamed Seekonk Aquatics, the program was originally part of the southern branch of Gator Swim Club.
Commonwealth North features the merge of Commonwealth Swimming with Solo Aquatics, one of the largest teams in the New England Swimming LSC. With the merge, Commonwealth North brings the addition of another 5 training facilties in Massachusetts and New Hampshire: Choice Fitness Elite, Dover Indoor Pool, Haverhill High School, Jenny Thompson Pool, and Phillips Exeter Academy. Harrison Hollingsworth and Meg Hollingsworth, the former owners and Head Coaches at Solo, will continue to oversee operations at the Commonwealth North site.
Combined with the previous training facilities utilized by Commonwealth Swimming, the team now holds access to 11 different training facilities across 3 states, including three long course pools. Sheppard addressed the additions in his email to his athletes and parents, stating. “I am excited for these new developments. The addition of Commonwealth North and Commonwealth South open a world of possibilities for all involved. It is an exciting time that has the electric crackle of infinite opportunity. Welcome to the new chapter of the Commonwealth Current!”
In its 10-year existence, Commonwealth Swimming has quickly risen to become one of the leading programs in New England. The team earned a Silver Medal USA Swimming Club Excellence Award in both 2020 and 2022, and received the Bronze Medal Club Excellence Award in 2021. Under Sheppard at Commonwealth, Natalie Mannion represented the USA at both the 2019 World Junior Championships and 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Championships, and was named a member of the US Junior National Team from 2019 until 2023.
Is Gator Swim Club now totally defunct? (I have the impression that it probably should be, but am out of the loop.)
Nobody is sticking their hand up and saying “I’m Gator Swim Club.” Most of the former coaches have been super defensive when we called and asked. Someone sent us a screenshot that showed that Alex Cronin, the last owner we knew about, is not a USA Swimming member, and Alex isn’t responding to our calls and emails. Someone told us they had finally changed the name and were continuing operations under another name.
A bunch of their members have shown up at other clubs, like in droves.
So the best we can say right now is that “we cannot identify an extant Gator Swim Club, but also cannot confirm that it doesn’t still exist under another name.” If anyone has… Read more »
New England Swimming has updated the CS listing to show North & South branches and still has Gators listed as a club, for what it’s worth.
https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/revolutionac/page/about/coaches-and-instructors
Was Chris Morgan recently a coach (the head coach?) at Gator Swim Club? It does also look like Revolution Aquatics has taken over the pool space at Bentley.
I swam for BGSC in the 90s, and am pretty far removed from that world by now. However, I have been watching (with some horror) as the trainwreck unfolds on SwimSwam.
The Revolution coach bios masterfully sidestep mentions of a certain club by name. But SwimSwam reported:
https://swimswam.com/boston-college-announces-taylor-mcknight-chris-morgan-as-new-volunteer-swimming-assistants/
Indeed, “a large New England swim club”
The swim club who shall not be named.
Noticed Brianna Cong (who had a great meet) was entered at Winter Juniors as Commonwealth instead of Solo. Makes sense now.
Well this is interesting