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By Carol Nip, V.P. Clubs & Coaches, Pacific Masters Swimming
Working towards a common goal can bring out the very best in an individual and community. When it comes to success stories, teamwork is often at the center. No one person can do it on their own—sacrifice and hard work from more than one person is how difficult hurdles are cleared. So, don’t be afraid of ask for help and give it when you can; community looks out for community. Use all of your collective experience, wisdom, creativity and ability to support each other. In the end, everyone benefits because “teamwork makes the dreamwork!”
It's amazing to look back on the 2022 Clubs & Coaches committee and all that we've achieved together. Even though Chris Wagner (USF), Marcia Benjamin (MEMO), Ian King (WCM), and Carol Nip (ALB) had different backgrounds and experiences, our teamwork resulted in great progress. We were able to use our collective strengths to positively impact the community. Despite our individual differences that could have prevented us from working well together, we built a strong collaborative spirit. I'm truly proud of what we've accomplished.
Education for Masters Swim Coaches
This year education for coaches was especially imperative, given the impact of the 2020 pandemic over two years. To ensure that coaches could stay ahead of the curve, we dedicated significant time to their education and development. Working with USMS and Pacific, webinars, conversations with specialist guests, forums where coaches could share best practices, mentorship triads - all these allowed us to stay abreast of the knowledge to build our swim communities in this unprecedented season. Go to The 2022 Annual Report, page 5, for a list of programs that took place.
Certification of Pacific's Coaches
After two years with no in person certification classes, Bill Brenner of USMS hosted two sessions, May and December, with a record number of 56 PACIFIC coaches completing classes, with many completing multiple certifications. Overall, 39 certifications were completed at Level 1. Level 2 expanded with 35 new coach certifications. Tougher yet, 16 certifications in Level 3, and finally Level 4 had one new certification this year.
Obtaining certification allows coaches to expand their knowledge and skills, helping them to maximize the potential of both their respective clubs and swimmers. This point was perfectly encapsulated by Tanja Paolini, Head Coach of Swim Fremont Glenmoor Gardens, who recently obtained certification as a Level 3 coach. Commenting on her certification experience, Paolini remarked that “I wish I had taken the course earlier when starting SFGG. It would have helped a lot on how to make things operate better.” She started the club six years ago, coaching both youth and masters swimmers.
Comprehensive Survey to Coaches
Our survey to Clubs & Coaches revealed five action items that are pivotal to helping the movement of U.S. Masters swimming grow and thrive in our clubs. As we move forward, we need to focus on building membership growth, encourage coach certification, update our Constant Contact emails to registered clubs and coaches, share results of the 2022 Clubs & Coaches Survey, and create a collaborative process between USMS and Pacific for collecting and sharing data. All items were achieved, except the last - USMS is taking action on February 1st with the launch of their project to work with a new CRM with Sales Force.
Try Masters Swimming
This January, three-quarters of clubs in Pacific wanted to grow their memberships and gain from USMS's Try Masters Swimming program. Fortunately, USMS was committed to supporting them through this endeavor and provided strong resources for helping driving growth. By July, only 20% of these same clubs had taken advantage of TMS.
What we learned is that as membership to some clubs grows, they are faced with a unique problem: pool space. Clubs must offer pool access not only to current members but also potential members in an effort to grow their membership base, yet limited sizes and availability of pools can put a strain on the ability of some clubs to do just that. The shortage of pool space is making it difficult for many clubs to grow and expand their member base as they wish.
Outreach
To promote outreach and fulfill the goals of USMS, the Coaches Committee made concerted outreach efforts to USAS swim clubs. Calls were made to dozens of clubs to determine whether they had already established Masters Swim programs and to ascertain their level of interest. Through these outreach initiatives, the Coaches Committee was able to guide the start up of twelve new club communities in our LMSC. We are hopeful that this outreach ultimately results in more swimmers being engaged with the programming available through USMS.
2022 Coach of The Year
Dana Kirk, Head Coach, Fremont Hills Swim Club, earned this award. With 4-week baby in tow, simultaneously coaching USAS and USMS teams, Dana hosted Pacific Master's first-ever Women in Coaching and Leadership Summit in October. The event featured keynote speaker, Debbie Meyer.
Like Dana, set your goals high and work hard to achieve them. You can be Pacific Masters Coach of The Year in 2023. Be someone who stands out from the rest. Find innovative ways to coach and develop swimmers, maintain a positive mindset and embrace new challenges that come your way. Don't just focus on winning, emphasize developing strong fundamentals, practice etiquette and team atmosphere as well. Believe in yourself and strive to make a positive contribution. This commitment is essential if you set your sight on Coach of The Year in 2023!
Review Club Websites - It Takes a Village
Dan Wegner (LVM) is Webmaster to Pacific Masters Swimming as well as Owner of Club Assistant. In 2021, Dan presented a useful webinar for Clubs and Coaches, Design a Better Website for Your Team. To evaluate websites in our LMSC, an assessment tool was created by Michael Moore (SNM) Chair, Marketing & Membership. Justine Wong (MVM) was instrumental in formulating an excel sheet, which Laurie Amaro (ALB) and Jackie Chow (DAM) cooperatively used to assess 120 websites. Results of the overall evaluation graded our LMSC with a “C” on websites. If any club would like to view their specific report, email coaches@pacificmasters.org and one will be provided.
Coach Mentors Triad Program
Through the Pacific Masters Swimming Coach Mentors Triad program, coaches shared their wisdom, friendship and ideas with each other in an effort to create a strong coaching community. This environment for collaboration allows us to learn from each other and become better coaches, benefiting our swimmers in the process. Building relationships with coaches helps us foster an atmosphere of community and support - we can give advice as well as receive it. We can inspire each other with new ideas and learn how to create the best possible environment within our teams while continuing to grow professionally.
How would this program be different in 2023?
- Before the program kicks off, ask coaches what topics they are interested in
- Initial Zoom meeting with 30-minute breakout rooms - intro's & discussion
- Report back to group after breakout
- Monthly topic theme with triad meetings each month
- Entire group meets quarterly
- A meet-up at a Pacific Masters championship meet or education weekend
- Shadow a coach on deck
Now is the perfect time to think about our plans for 2023 and start making those hopes a reality. We are recruiting mentors to help lead the way with workshops, networking opportunities, and more. If you're interested in getting involved and helping make 2023 an extraordinary year for our community, click the link provided. There's no better time than now to arm ourselves with knowledge, build relationships with mentors and peers, and have a say in what 2023 may look like!
Talk?
If you need to follow up with any questions or points related to A Year in Review 2022, Carol Nip is available to chat over the phone. She can be reached at (510) 589-7102, or if that is not convenient, feel free to send her a text message. Carol is knowledgeable and willing to help so don't be afraid to reach out to her if you need assistance beyond what we have shared today.
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