Let’s play a game of “which one doesn’t belong.”
This team has so many different practice locations (I’m not sure this is even one of them) I’m not sure how its considered one team
Yes… that is two 50m pools right next to each other
This is one of two similar facilities
No working ventilation system.
Just watch the video, I’ve seen a lot of things on YouTube that I didn’t think were real but this may top them all.
Swam here once and it is an awesome facility.
(It goes on like that for most of the gold medal clubs).
I guess I shouldn’t have named the game “which one doesn’t belong” because USA Swimming has tallied the scores (however it is that they do that) and these 10 programs came out with the highest totals, so all of them belong. This scoring decides the most successful programs throughout the United States.
My Dad is a coach for the Dayton Raiders, the #8 team on the list above. He posted the picture above of the facility in which his team practices. The facility is nothing special, I can say that because during a majority of my younger swimming years I swam in the same pool. The facility is a 6 lane 25 meter pool, the ventilation system no longer works, so the team depends on the four doorways to the outside and a giant fan, to top it off it is located in an area town that is not the best area.
It is a facility that is bad enough that it could be used as an excuse for the coaches and the swimmers. But having swum in this pool and having swum for my dad, I know “an excuse” is not what it is being used for. It is used to make the swimmers tougher. I’m sure that the coaches and swimmers would love to have any of the other facilities that pictured above, but I don’t know if they would be the same swimmers or same team without swimming in that pool. Swimming is hugely mental, more so than a lot of people think. To be able to swim in their facility day-in and day-out takes a special toughness, one that can’t necessarily be learned or gained swimming outside in sunny California.
My freshman year of college I was part of a similar situation. I attended West Virginia University, coached by Sergio Lopez, who is currently the coach of the #5 team on this list, Bolles Sharks. WVU’s facility is an 8-lane 25 yard pool with a small separate diving well. As freshmen that year we didn’t even receive our own training equipment until almost halfway through the year. At the end of the 2006-2007 season, we had won the Big East Swimming Championship and were ranked in the NCAA top 25. The WVU facility is not nearly as bad as the Raiders, but in the college swimming world where teams are able to draw swimmers in using a fantastic facility, the situation is comparable. We were able to accomplish what we did because everyone, swimmers and coaches, had one goal in mind and we held each other to that goal.
I could recount that year in novel form, but I’ll spare everyone. I guess the moral of the story is that the facility doesn’t necessarily determine the fate of the program. In fact it can be used as an advantage. I want to congratulate the Dayton Raiders, coaches and swimmers, you have accomplished a lot more with a lot less and that took a special group of people. Continue whatever it is that you’re doing, and I’ll keep dropping in to get my ass kicked whenever I can.
Besides the “lake” in the quarry at Lakeside (Louisville, KY), during the rest of the year, the team trains at their indoor 25m bubble pool, St Xavier HS, and MT Meagher pool. I’ve swam in the bubble and watched practices at St X, and those are hardly state-of-the-art. They do a great job with their facilities.
RMSC outside of DC is a (Montgomery) County-owned club, and has almost unfettered access to county pools. This includes a pool where Kate Ziegler broke Janet Evans’ record in the 500, and several others of similar quality (MAC/Kennedy-Shriver, Olney, Germantown, MLK/White Oak, and central). They have at least three 50m pools for LC season.
Besides the “lake” in the quarry at Lakeside (Louisville, KY), during the rest of the year, the team trains at their indoor 25m bubble pool, St Xavier HS, and MT Meagher pool. I’ve swam in the bubble and watched practices at St X, and those are hardly state-of-the-art.
RMSC outside of DC is a (Montgomery) County-owned club, and has almost unfettered access to county pools. This includes a pool where Kate Ziegler broke Janet Evans’ record in the 500, and several others of similar quality (MAC/Kennedy-Shriver, Olney, Germantown, MLK/White Oak, and central). They have at least three 50m pools for LC season.
Being a Gold Medal Club is impressive under any condition, but I would say that maybe the most impressive – when you look at numbers – is York, PA. I don’t think they have 150 swimmers on that club, but Michael and the rest of the people at York are really passionate about greatness. I am continually impressed with what Michael Brooks does, and consider him to be among the very best age-group coaches in the world. Congrats to Mike – and all the clubs who earned a recognition.
I think we can all agree that every team has challenges. We could all site a list as long as our arm. Most importantly we all create an environment for our swimmers to succeed. Developing a culture of excellence and high expectations. The room for our athletes to fail and learn how to succeed. When it’s all said and done…Go USA Swimming! Keep raising the bar.
Sergio is awesome. Just thought I’d throw that out there.
Justin,
Great Article! I think the most important point here is that we always need to appreciate what we have, utilize it to the best of our abilities and never look at what we don’t have. Every club, high school and university has a different set up but what makes them successful is not a fancy facility and a lot of space. What makes a club successful is a Vision, Passion, Teamwork and the Desire to be the Best they can Be. If the swimmers, coaches, parents, administrations believe in what they have and work hard day in and day out they will be successful no matter what.
I know here at Bolles we have an amazing situation, but… Read more »
Interesting article. Can’t speak for everyone, but we have approx 35%-40% of our kids doing meets. Most are rec based, families with siblings who don’t swim or that haven’t made our sport their main choice yet, etc. OK by us. Be careful not to judge simply by looking at a picture of a pool, incl the ones that could use a little TLC. It’s what is taking place on the deck and in the water day in and day out that is the real separator, and of course being blessed by some talent walking through your doors at any age. We were fortunate to have a few high scorers in the meets that were factored in the formula this past… Read more »
Is that really NBAC’s pool – Meadowbrook? Flattering photo. It does not look as good in person especially in the winter! It is a 50m pool though which is what I thought was the main thing going for it but now I see that there’s the indoor/outdoor feature as well. Will have to check it out in the summer. I honestly don’t know how some of these no frills clubs manage in these conditions. We are spoiled here in the DC/VA/MD. I guess it could be a mental advantage. Very interesting article.