On Friday, March 19th, ASCA board member and Victor Swim Club co-head coach Mike Murray announced to athletes and families via Facebook that the club will combine with Velocity Aquatics to become one club.
Victor Swim Club/Velocity Aquatics @ Victor will be the only USA Swimming team with a large regional presence in the Niagara Swimming LSC and New York state with this merge. Velocity Aquatics & Victor Swim Club are located 60 miles apart, with Velocity Aquatics based out of Buffalo, NY while the Victor Swim Club is located in the surrounding Rochester, NY area.
Murray made the announcement in a video along with Heidi Pare, general manager of the Michael Phelps Swim School and Velocity Aquatics. The decision to merge clubs is a strategic move to create a regional presence for local athletes, as many swimmers live in NY towns that don’t have a nearby home team.
Pare continued to explain how this merging will provide an opportunity to expand a team and have young swimmers experience moving up training groups and relays together. Pare joined the Velocity Aquatics family after spending time as the general manager at the Michael Phelps Skill Center in Maine, as well as picking up experience teaching swimming lessons and serving as a waterfront director for various children’s summer camps.
Along with Murray’s multiple experiences as a national camp selection staff members and his time at Victor Swim Club, he was elected to the 2020 American Swimming Coaches Association Board of Directors (ASCA) executive committee. Over Murray’s six years and counting with Victor Swim Club, he has coached the club to two top-three team finishes at the 2016 and 2017 Futures Championships as well as earning the 2018 ASCA Certificate of Excellence. Murray had also guided Makayla Sargent to 400 IM gold at the 2019 World University Games as well as notching her national team status and top-20 world position for the season.
Official Facebook Announcement (posted 03/19/21):
