How College Club Swimming Offers a Different Path for Swimmers

How College Club Swimming Offers a Different Path for Swimmers

For many swimmers who’ve grown up within the sport, there comes a time close to the top of highschool the place you’re compelled to decide: “Do I pursue swimming in college or do I retire?” The reply is commonly a tough one to search out for a lot of athletes. Swimming in faculty is a chance that just some are supplied and it holds many advantages. For others, it might imply stress, numerous time spent recruiting, and extra restricted choices for increased training. But with out collegiate swimming, meaning you’re retired from the game – possibly years earlier than you have been able to.

However, there’s an alternative choice for swimmers who discover themselves at a crossroads: College Club Swimming.

Background

College Club Swimming, generally known as CCS, oversees greater than 200 faculty membership groups and practically 10,000 swimmers nationwide–numbers which might be shortly rising. From the University of Georgia to UCLA, these golf equipment give athletes of all ranges the possibility to proceed competing in a enjoyable, social surroundings–with out pressures like recruiting or intense every day coaching.

In a latest interview with Swimming World Magazine, Dawson Hughes, CEO of U.S. Masters Swimming, mentioned the CCS motto is “Swimming on Your Terms.” “Every club is unique, shaped by its traditions, training routines and school culture, creating a fun community,” Hughes mentioned. “Our goal is that everyone in CCS has an opportunity to swim and stay connected to the sport.”

Run by swimmers and supported by U.S. Masters Swimming, CCS offers guidelines, occasion calendars, outcomes and communication for its groups. The program was formally launched in 2016, when USMS volunteers acknowledged the necessity to stabilize the loosely organized community of golf equipment. 

“It was clear the motivations and benefits students sought were closely aligned with USMS,” Hughes mentioned. “With no central board and frequent office turnover, it was obvious how we could help.”

That partnership led to the creation of CCS, its first advisory board and the CCS National Championship. Hughes mentioned the last word purpose is for each faculty to have a CCS membership, giving any pupil the possibility to pursue or proceed a ardour for swimming.

Community and Enjoyment

With these values in thoughts, College Club Swimming gives one thing many swimming applications do: group. Especially at bigger faculties, it may be tough for college students to discover a group the place they really slot in. CCS offers that house for a lot of. 

Cady Houck, a senior on the University of Florida and president of the Florida Club Swim Team, has been a part of CCS since her freshman yr. She began swimming competitively at age 7 earlier than becoming a member of UF’s membership program.

“I was unaware of how big Greek life is in the South,” Houck mentioned. “After orientation, I realized I needed to find my niche – a club where I felt I belonged without the pressures of being in a sorority.”

Houck mentioned she has since discovered a few of her closest associates by membership swimming. As president, she’s continued to assist foster an surroundings that emphasizes each group and enjoyable. 

Danny Stemp, president of Arizona State University’s Club Swim workforce, mentioned this was an vital a part of why he joined.

“I looked at the (ASU Swim Club) Instagram before I even knew I was going to ASU and it just looked so fun,” Stemp mentioned. “Everyone was enjoying swimming…with how long most of these people have been doing it, they’re burned out, or they don’t want to keep practicing.” 

Stemp mentioned that the enjoyable and social surroundings of membership swimming is what retains folks linked to the game.

Adaptability and Opportunity

The essential pull of College Club Swimming is its adaptability. Unlike age-group golf equipment or varsity applications, CCS gives a aggressive construction that adjusts for swimmers of various backgrounds and schedules.

Houck mentioned one of many greatest advantages is how this construction can flip the dynamic of ordinary aggressive swimming. “You can choose how hard you want to practice, when to take rest days, and how you want to compete,” she mentioned. “Everything we do is built around your own drive, goals, and love for the sport.”

This flexibility permits swimmers to concentrate on issues exterior of swimming whereas nonetheless staying concerned within the sport. “It really allows you to focus on your academics, while still doing a sport you love,” mentioned Jeff Christophersen, Nationals Chair of Swim Club at ASU. 

CCS additionally expands faculty choices for highschool athletes who could not need the calls for of NCAA swimming. “If you’re going to swim D-I, D-II, D-III, you’re going to be more limited in the options of schools that you can choose,” mentioned Christophersen. “I chose to come to ASU, which is a really great school…and I couldn’t have done that if I had wanted to swim at the competitive college level.”

Beyond the pool, CCS offers management alternatives by managing groups and internet hosting occasions. Christophersen mentioned his position gave him precious expertise whereas serving to manage final yr’s National Championship meet. 

The meet, thought of CCS’s greatest occasion of the yr, is usually held in late spring and requires qualifying occasions to attend. “I’ve always worked in aquatics,” Christophersen mentioned. “To be able to be on the executive board…and working on the back end was really cool, and has helped me kind of develop my career.”

Growth

CCS has a vivid future forward of it. Christophersen mentioned the group is continuous to evolve, with new golf equipment forming every year. 

“Especially with some of the recent NCAA issues that are going on, you have roster limits and teams that are getting cut, just because the colleges don’t have the money to support some of the non-revenue sports,” he mentioned. “So College Club Swimming is definitely going to grow, and I think it’s going to look different in the future.”

The growth is obvious on the membership degree, as nicely. Arizona State’s workforce has surged because it started about 4 years in the past. “(We had) like 15 people four years ago and now we have up to 150,” Stemp mentioned. “This year, I’m expecting only more growth with how many people are already interested in the club.”

Final Thoughts

College Club Swimming has given many athletes a method to keep linked to the game they love. With membership rising every year, CCS is poised to maintain increasing its impression within the swimming group. As USMS CEO Dawson Hughes mentioned, “We are expecting a big year.”

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