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The Marriage of a Successful
Masters Program with a Swim Team
by John Bitter, head coach of the Santa Clara
Swim Club
The sport of fitness swimming or adult masters swimming in this
country has experienced tremendous growth over the last ten years.
Today there are over 38,000 registered adult masters' swimmers
(numbers from USMS information 2001) training, competing, and
enjoying the benefits that the sport of swimming has to offer.
In certain parts of the country the registered masters’ swimmers
far outnumber those registered for United States Swimming. Clubs
in Texas, and across California are reaping financial profits
that were unheard of in previous years. So why would a club not
seek out this opportunity to add a masters program to their already
existing curriculum? The answers to this question are often more
complex than they appear. In this article, I will explore several
of these answers and also give some advice on how our team, the
Santa Clara Swim Club, has managed to make both programs successfully
co-exist.
In discussing issues of coaching with other coaches, it has become
an age-old adage that the worst problem we face daily is the swim
team parent. After all, the most cherished thing is this world
is a child, therefore parents often act out of character when
it comes to their children’s needs and wants. So taking that
adage a step further, if the worse thing is dealing with parents
and their dreams for their children, now imagine dealing with
parents themselves who are swimming and creating their own dreams.
Just as a parent can be selfish when it comes to their child,
now they get to be even more selfish when it comes to them. A
daunting fear that many coaches see is how to handle the adult
swimmer, when it comes time to talk about whether to run a masters
program or not. Often when I go to camps, clinics, or meets and
the subject of masters’ swimming comes up, I can see the
cringe in the eyes of many of my fellow coaches. But when I tell
them about how much the program at Santa Clara brings in each
year and how the potential for even more growth exists, their
eyes widen and the questions come forth. Through a successful
Master's program, there is a tremendous opportunity for financial
success that can benefit the swim club. Learning to coach the
"grown up" is a small price to pay for the opportunity
of financial success. I have mentioned those words twice, financial
success, but to say that this concept is the only reason to develop
a Masters program would be to diminish what can truly be a special
part of your overall curriculum.
When I came to Santa Clara Swim Club in 1995, we offered an age
group program, a senior program, and a small, but regularly attended
masters’ program. My first year at the club, the head coach
Dick Jochums added a learn-to swim program to the mix. We now
had a swim program that covered from toddler to adult, but the
strategy about how to market it and make the entire team a success
was the next step in our development as a club. Santa Clara had
its name, but in master’s swimming a name is not always the
reason to swim at a particular place. Master’s swimmers want
a program where they feel wanted. They will go to a pool where
they feel they can get a good workout (usually one with variety),
a place were the coach to swimmer familiarity is high, where there
is a set workout schedule, and finally, where there are some social
aspects to the pool and lane structure. In the first two years
at Santa Clara, our program was one that could best be described
as disjointed and sparsely populated. To be exact, many of those
early regulars bemoan to me that they wish the old days were here,
without the crowded lanes, even though they understand the need
to grow. We had no regular coach, the program had no real structure,
and the swimmers who were there came to swim because of the convenience
the pool had to their work or homes. Something had to change,
for the program had the potential to be something the club would
be proud of and would benefit the adult swimming community. In
November 1998, I took over the program from top to bottom and
I began coaching all of the workouts on a regular basis. At Santa
Clara we run workouts Monday through Friday from 6 to 8 am and
from 6 to 7:30 p.m. On Saturdays the workout is from 9:30 to 11
am and on Sundays from 9 to 10:30 am. For the last three years
I have been running almost all of those workouts, with the goal
of creating a familiarity in the program and to advance it to
where it was standing on its own two feet financially. Of course,
this is a difficult task to ask of any staff member and familiarity
or consistency can be achieved through less extreme measures.
Last year we were able to achieve financial independence, as the
program paid for my salary, plus pool rent, and was still left
with money in a reserve account. This year we are already over
budget by 125%. In the year 1998-1999 the program had a membership
under 135 and brought around $40,000 into the team. The following
year 1999-2000 the program grew in numbers to 240 registered swimmers
and the program exceeded budget by a little over $30,000. This
year the club has continued its growth and registered masters'
swimmers is approaching 300. The eventual goal of the program
is 400 registered masters' swimmers. The financial profit generated
at that point will create the ability to sponsor relay teams at
different competitions that are offered to adult swimmers. Putting
our club in such a position is another way to support our adult
athletes, while also creating a lasting bond between the adult
swimmer and the club.
So what do you do to make this happen? One of the first ways
to develop a successful masters programs to give it structure,
but with flexibility. By that I mean set up a working schedule
for workouts, but add some flexibility in how members can pay.
At Santa Clara we have created daily, monthly, half-yearly, and
yearly payment options. Also, through agreements with many of
the local triathlete clubs, special discounts have been honored.
Discounts for city residents, students, and former swimmers and
parents of the club have been established. Each of these plans
has been established as a way to attract the adult to try the
program. Flexibility also means making sure you create the workout
for the group in the water, not just run a generic workout to
see how many laps they can do in one hour. Adults understand what
is going on; they want a practice that not only gives them a great
workout, but one that also has some variety and purpose to it.
Don’t just assume and don’t just send them back and
forth. Listen, create, and provide multiple workouts within the
pool if you need to. There is nothing worse than having a pool
full of swimmers creating their own workouts because your workout
shows no concern for them. A master's workout should not be an
open lap swim. Have a few lap lanes available, but make the workout
lanes the place to be. Also, I make myself available for clinics
and for one-on-ones, something that gives me more contact to the
swimmers and their needs. Finally, don’t ever pass up an
opportunity to speak when asked. Getting yourself out there as
often as you can helps with the marketing of the program and more
than likely it will also help some adult feel more comfortable
about coming to their first Master's workout. Make everyone feel
welcomed and find a lane for even the slowest beginner to swim
and perform a workout you have given.
Something else that I feel is important is participation in a
few of the events your swimmers do. This year, and in 1999, I
did Masters Nationals with my team, I have also done a few open
water swims, and I have participated in triathlon relays. I am
in no shape to do a triathlon, but doing the swim alone and cheering
on the many triathletes who swim at your pool, helps give you
a small perspective of what your adult athletes are going through.
It is this listening, watching them compete, and congratulating
them for their efforts that you can create that partnership that
leads to loyalty to your club's Master's program. This is another
way to keep your program a step ahead of the others and a success
for years to come.
A masters' swim program is an excellent way to create revenue
for the club, create more recognition for the club, and a way
to give your club a true place in the complete development of
a swimmer from infancy to old age. The positives outweigh the
negatives if you take the time to create a program and put the
time into it to bring it to a level in which everyone who may
participate feels good about what they experienced. Remember that
you only will see many of these people twice a week for a grand
total of 3 hours, what you do and how you do it will leave a lasting
impression for the future. The best marketing for a master's program
will always word of mouth from those who are swimming in it. People
talk at work about their exercise or fitness programs and where
they do it. Make your club the name that they mention and enjoy
what a successfully run masters' program can do for your club.
What makes Masters swimming
such an unique swimming environment is that
it gives every individual an opportunity to find their place within
a given workout session. Unlike the purely competitive swim environment
of the USS, Masters swimming is filled with diversity in age,
ability, and level of commitment, that no one should feel intimidated
by the chance to get involved. Many programs do have former Olympians
or other "serious" former swimmers, but they may also
have numerous first timers who have found the joy of swimming
later in life. How this all blends together is what makes each
program unique and successful for the individuals enrolled. How
to get involved with the right program for you may take some testing
of the waters, but you will find the right one if you stay with
it, ask questions, and find the right mix of people to swim with.
What defines one Master swimmer from another? In your typical
Masters workout, you have two groups of athletes participating,
the competitive, and the non-competitive swimmer. The competitive
swimmer being that individual who has made a commitment to themselves
to being active in some form of competition, be it pool races,
open water, triathlons, etc. The non-competitive swimmer is that
swimmer who enjoys the pure fitness benefits the sport of swimming
offers in terms of cardiovascular fitness, stress reduction, weight
control, etc. Within the competitive environment you also have
varying degrees of swimming background and commitment. In many
workout sessions you have that group of so-called "fasties"
in the first couple of lanes, swimming back and forth with a look
of ease. Many of these swimmers have had an enormous competitive
background growing up and for them going to the swimming pool
for workout is something they probably have done most of their
life. Most swimming jargon is second-hand and they find Masters
swimming a natural transition from their days of age group, high
school, or college swimming. Within the competitive swim environment
is the fastest growing group of athletes to the sport who up to
now may not possess the extensive background of swim competition.
Many of these newly competitive swimmers are triathletes and/or
late bloomers to the sport. These swimmers tend to want stroke
technique, need assistance in pacing, and descending sets or best
average sets are new to their vocabulary. Also being comfortable
swimming other strokes besides freestyle may take some time. It
is this group of swimmers though, that provides the greatest opportunity
for accomplishment in the Masters workout setting. This is the
group hungry to learn, able to understand, and ready to listen
to advice on stroke and swim training that will help them improve.
The non-competitive swimmer is that individual who may try the
workout or may just opt for their own lap swimming. These swimmers
find the sport of swimming to be enjoyable and beneficial for
them as an excellent form of exercise and they have chosen to
make swimming a daily part of their life. Assistance with helping
them to better maximize their time in the pool is usually a positive
step towards encouraging them to become an active member of a
workout session.
How does a Masters program work for all these groups? All swimmers,
regardless of their ability and background, need to feel welcomed
and at ease with what is going on in a workout. Swim sets, while
it is fun to be entertaining, must be easy to follow, understand,
and provide some constructive feedback. Designing sets to make
sense to every swimmer is better than designing a workout that
only a few will understand. Allowing for flexibility within the
workout, ie. be it with fins, paddles, buoys, etc., also gives
the different diversity of swimmers a feeling that it is okay
to work at a pace that is comfortable to their development. Creating
a team concept where the accomplished triathlete can feel welcomed
swimming with the seasoned swimmer, is another way to create an
environment where diversity is accepted, not challenged. Also
there are no slow swimmers, for everyone is doing their best with
what they have, therefore each swimmer is trying no matter what
their interval may be. The number one reason why most people get
involved in a Masters program is to either become or stay fit.
When you think about it for a moment, just getting such a diversity
of people to go on an interval is a remarkable feat.
The Santa Clara Swim Club (SCSC) has won a reputation as one
of the premier Masters programs in the South Bay. SCSC has a tradition
of excellence that has produced optimal results for all swimmers.
The goal at SCSC is to provide a swimming environment where the
fundamentals of an efficient stroke and the skills required to
feel strong and at your best in the water fulfilled. The opportunity
for you to enhance your enjoyment of the sport and the water will
be provided at each training session, with the goal of enabling
you to reach the next level in the sport of swimming.
Masters swimming is a sport that has gained enormous popularity
in the last ten years. The benefits from participation in the
sport have made it extremely popular with a wide variety of people.
The successful programs have learned to mesh the diversity of
the participant in the sport into a program that does its best
to meet everyone’s needs. The true key to any program though,
comes from the individuals involved. It is up to you to make the
program yours and to make it a vehicle to help you reach your
potential and to reach your goals. The coaching staff is here
to work with you as you set the personal goals you need to reach
your success. We hope that this handbook will serve as an useful
guide to our program and to the many benefits of Masters swimming
and Santa Clara Swim Club.
"If One Advances Confidently In The
Direction Of His Dreams, And Endeavors To Live Life Which He Has
Imagined, He Will Meet With A Success Unexpected In Common Hours."
--- Henry David Thoreau
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