2026 Pro Swim Series – Indianapolis
- June 17-20, 2026
- Indianapolis, IN
- LCM (50 meters)
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results
- Live Stream: USA Swimming Network (Downloadable App)
- Live Recap:
Video captured by Anya Pelshaw.
UNC graduate student Skyler Smith had a significant drop this weekend in Indianapolis, cutting half a second in her 100 breast (1:06.90) to break the 1:07-barrier for the first time in her career. Smith has had a busy spring, and her life isn’t slowing down, as she’s taking on a full-time job in the comms department at UNC while continuing to pursue her master’s degree and compete.
We’ve seen numerous breaststrokers in the US do this and have success recently, including Nic Fink (won gold-silver-silver at Paris Olympics while working as an engineer) and Van Mathias (broke the 50 & 100 Breast LCM American records while acting as IU Swimming’s Director of (Dr)Ops.
Skyler is a real champion and a wonderful example for other swimmers to follow. Many of the over the hill gang who are hanging on to pick up pieces of coin need to get realistic, get a job and stop clogging up pool space for other up and coming superstars!
This is what the full time job looks like: Typical responsibilities would likely include:
* Managing content for GoHeels social channels (Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook, etc.)
* Developing content calendars around competitions and major events.
* Creating graphics, reels, and short-form videos.
* Shooting photos and video during practices, competitions, and special events.
* Live posting during games and meets.
* Writing captions and storytelling around athletes and teams.
* Tracking engagement metrics and analytics to determine what content performs best.
* Collaborating with photographers, videographers, communications staff, and marketing.
* Coordinating with coaches and sport administrators on content priorities.
* Supporting recruiting by showcasing the student-athlete experience and UNC brand.
Ok chatgpt
They’re not crunching numbers for 12hrs straight or working a trade (which, let’s be honest 99% of SwimSwam commenters have never done even for a day) then it’s not a ‘real job’.
She’s also getting her Masters! Very impressive, even if people are arguing about if the job is legit.
Old man yells at cloud
Hey. if she’s working 8 hours a day, it’s a full time job (in my mind). Doesn’t matter what she’s doing. So good for her.
If only there was a way for swimmers to earn a lot of money… *cough cough Enhanced Games cough cough*
Most of the high level athletes representing former easter block countries were on coal mines or factories payroll while training full time. It was a common practice back then for “amateurs” athletes.
How does the Easter Block differ from the Christmas Block?
I have a couple friends who are influencers – not sure if that is comparable to what Skyler does, but it’s actually a lot of work. To work the algorithms, you need to be consistently putting out new material (not just when something happens or you feel inspired). Always be engaging with users. As a rough rule of thumb, a 1-minute video with multiple shots takes an hour to edit. Those 5 glamorous shots at the beach might have been a whole morning with a professional photographer.
It can be a full time job, and not one you’ll catch me doing.
My swimmer has met Skyler and said she is fun, charismatic, and welcoming. And like you said, it’s more work than people realize.