PODCAST: Is There Hope For Struggling Swim Clubs and Their Swim Club Boards?

In the SwimSwam Podcast dive deeper into the sport you love with insider conversations about swimming. Hosted by Coleman HodgesGarrett McCaffrey, and Gold Medal Mel Stewart, SwimSwam welcomes both the biggest names in swimming that you already know, and rising stars that you need to get to know, as we break down the past, present, and future of aquatic sports.

For nearly four decades I’ve heard about or experienced firsthand the fallout of dysfunctional leadership at swim clubs.  Club boards splinter or run amok. Bad coaches go rogue.  Good coaches suffer at the hands of egotistical board members.   Every situation imaginable occurs.  The worst is when you learn a club board never really managed the oversight of a team’s finances, and suddenly the entire swim team is on red alert fearful the pool doors will be locked.

Renata Porter is a swim business expert with a focus on youth sports clubs. Her company provides actionable guidance and support to help clubs to shift from old mindsets to running their clubs like a business. Renata helps to put clubs on the path to positive operational outcomes. She’s hands-on, a true end-to-end partner. In sum, she gets to the heart of whatever the issue is and offers actionable solutions.

In this first podcast, we touch on her experience and the process of what she encounters.  In future podcasts, we will get more granular. If you have questions, I’ll compile and use them for future discussions.

I hope you like this podcast. Swimming stands on the shoulders of club teams. If anything, I’ve learned from Renata to be more compassionate and less judgmental about club team challenges. The problems are real, understandable, but they can be solved.

Please note, Renata Porter is a SwimSwam ad partner.  We made this partnership, as we do all partnerships, to support our news division, but we also made it to gain more understanding about the challenges swimming clubs encounter.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

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.

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Swammer
2 years ago

Thanks for a great interview on a really important topic with a very knowledgeable guest. Looking forward to hear more from Renata in the future, and more about the “dry side” of the swimming world.

And as for teamunify,I’m not sure anyone really likes it, but is there a better system for most clubs that can generate HyTek entries?

Dan Dingman
Reply to  Swammer
2 years ago

Of course I’m biased, but ours is better (Commit Swimming Team Suite) :). Just launched and more clubs are switching over to it from TU every day. Email me at [email protected] OR go to commitswimming.com.

About Gold Medal Mel Stewart

Gold Medal Mel Stewart

MEL STEWART Jr., aka Gold Medal Mel, won three Olympic medals at the 1992 Olympic Games. Mel's best event was the 200 butterfly. He is a former World, American, and NCAA Record holder in the 200 butterfly. As a writer/producer and sports columnist, Mel has contributed to Yahoo Sports, Universal Sports, …

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