How do you measure the strength of your club against others?  Get on a plane and do your homework!

In all my years of building NCA to be the best organization it can be – from the best coaches and committed senior swimmers all the way down to the up-and-coming novices and educated parents – the tool I never utilized to its fullest was doing the legwork of walking the decks of successful clubs around the country.  This fall, I felt it was time to do this, and I scheduled trips to three of the top performing 18-under swim clubs in the United States.  

My criteria in selecting those clubs was simple: each one had enjoyed success on the national level with their age-group and senior programs for a period of several years.  

These are the three clubs I chose this fall:

• Marlins of Raleigh (Paul Silver, Director)
• Nashville Aquatic Club (John Morris, Director)
• Lakeside Aquatic Club (Mike Deboor, Director)

All three directors are great friends of mine, and I have spent countless hours on deck coaching next to them at Olympic Trials and many other major meets across the country.  All three coached US Olympians and served on several USA National Team coaching staffs.  The relationships I built with them over the years allowed me unprecedented access to their clubs and coaching staffs, which I took full advantage of during my visits.  

I watched every level practice, talked to their assistant coaches, and picked their brains on every facet of our sport.  This included: entry level criteria, age-group methodology, team structure, team philosophy, dryland training, and parent education.  

The insights I gained through observation and conversation were immeasurable.  I am assured that NCA matches each program in several areas, but I also saw areas where NCA falls short and needs improvement.  Equipped with that knowledge, I returned to our decks to address those needs and implement changes.  I hope swimmers and parents alike have seen some of this over the winter, and I will continue these improvements in the future.

The greatest lesson I learned was this: until you compare your program with other high-performing programs, you never really know how your program stacks up.  Being humble and self-aware adds value to our club, and I am planning on making club visits an annual part of my yearly maintenance at NCA.