New USA Swimming CEO Is Already Finding the Pain Points, But Proof Remains in the Pudding

New USA Swimming CEO Kevin Ring has released his first ‘state of the union’ even before he formally takes over the role next week. In it, he has already shown at least a basic grasp of the underlying causes that have hit the sport in recent years.

In it, he repeatedly mentions “stakeholders,” hinting at the need to repair relationships with outside groups like coaches, media, and brands. He also talks about building a culture of “transparency, innovation and modernization,” which have been three of the loudest critiques for an organization that historically has been woefully unwilling or unable to change efficiently in its history, nor to give those stakeholders any peak into what’s happening with the organization that, for better or worse, holds the key to the futures of most in the sport in this country.

“In order to succeed as CEO of USA Swimming and the USA Swimming Foundation, initially, I will spend meaningful time listening and learning, creating partnerships with key stakeholders, and communicating clearly with the board, stakeholders, membership, and USA Swimming staff. We will build a culture of transparency, innovation and modernization, all the while keeping focus on the mission and building upon the solid foundation already in place. This will be done using my experience with the PGA which aligns well with USA Swimming and the USA Swimming Foundation while also using my experience at Legends which allowed me to be CEO of my business while working with the commercially driven entity of Legends and the mission based Association at the PGA that has allowed both to create a modernized revenue plan. These complementary skills brought together will lead to the next phase of growth and leadership at USA Swimming.”

So there are signs that he is already figuring out some of the pain points for the sport and signaling to the community where he’s going to put his initial attention.

Of course, as is the case with any large organizations, the calls from the optimates for ‘patience’ have begun. Individuals jockeying for position and political standing and the ever-present moral high ground roll out the “if you don’t like it, pitch in and help” or “give him time to make a plan.”

And to Ring’s credit, he so far hasn’t asked for any of that.

To some degree, I think that approach is a cop out. It lets the Board of Directors off the hook for the repeated bungling of the process, it excuses incompetence within the organization that has been allowed to percolate for way too long, and it ignores the history of USA Swimming falling into the usual bad patterns whenever they sense a moment of pressure release from their stakeholders.

At the same time, I think there is a kernel of truth to it. The lack of a swimming background doesn’t bother me much on the surface. For an invested and intelligent and conscientious individual, I don’t believe that the sport takes that long to really get fully engaged with. Past leadership with swimming backgrounds have certainly proven that it is not a silver bullet for success in the sport.

And every indication so far is that Ring is an intelligent and invested and conscientious person who genuinely wants to do the job well.

But while there is room for grace and stewing, I think there is also room for cynicism. Every leader the organization has ever had starts with positive mojo. They all give a great first interview. We see this everywhere in the world. Each president starts with a net positive approval rating, and recently, they don’t often end there.

Speaking from our experience as a media outlet, every time there is a new leader in the group’s media department, or a new Chief Operating Officer, they reach out telling us how they’re going to change, what they’re going to do better, and then they rarely live up once the initial momentum tapers off, eventually devolving into the same personal attacks and threats that are a hallmark of USA Swimming’s political maneuvering.

Ultimately, while there is room for patience, the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games are not moving. Those dates, set in stone, will be unforgiving, and seizing this once-in-a-generation opportunity is worth a little rushing.

While we have to recognize that some parts of the behemoth of a boat that is USA Swimming will take time – like rebuilding culture, finishing the technological transformation that struggled to leap a 20 year gap in a single go, and bringing true innovation to a sport that likes tradition.

But there are other areas where the organization can and should show immediate signs of progress. As an example, his other pillar, transparency, does not require long term planning. Rolling out a new marketing campaign does not require long term planning. Showing up and listening to coaches and retired athletes like Michael Phelps and genuinely caring about their input does not take long term planning.

These short term changes can be the lighthouses for whether there is follow through on the rhetoric.

I guess my ultimate point is that I don’t think either extreme of immediately writing off Kevin Ring or just sitting on our collective hands and letting him cook is the right answer. To borrow a metaphor I saw from one coach on LinkedIn (embedded below), I feel that we should apply neither a crock pot nor a pressure cooker.

I think instead we need to man the grill. There are some things you cook on a grill where you need to turn the heat down low and give it some time without turning it too much. There are other things where you need to turn up the heat and give it a nice crust. A true grillmaster knows which of those is which.