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What's On the Agenda at the ASCA Headquarters?

By John Leonard

The Board of Directors and Staff of the American Swimming Coaches Association are focused in 2002 on several key issues in American Swimming. We urge all those athletes, coaches and officials in swimming to get behind the following items.

Number One – Pass the Dues Increase in USA Swimming. If we want to grow our sport, if we want to promote our sport, if we want to retain the high level of success our teams enjoy in international competition, we must pay for it ourselves. The USOC is in shambles. Our revenue-shares from that source are constantly shrinking. Lets get off sport welfare from there. Lets pay for our own growth, and success. USA-Swimming Dues are extremely low compared to other National Governing Bodies. Simultaneously, many local swimming swimming committees sit with fat bank accounts, with no plans to use the money to improve swimming. We’re not in the bank account business, we’re in the business of helping to build better people and faster swimmers. If an LSC is concerned with the total cost to an individual in their area, they can reduce their LSC share of athlete registration.

    USA-Swimming needs money to continue our success. An additional $15.00 per year is 4 cents a day. It won’t stop anyone from becoming a swimmer. And it will make dramatic improvements in our Build, Promote and Achieve mission.

Number Two – Get the USOC and NCAA to address the “unintended consequences” of Title IX. We love Title IX. It was partially responsible for the growth of women’s sports in many areas. Our daughters benefit. But it hurts our sons, as it is currently interpreted by the Office of Civil Rights.

We need a new interpretation. This is a sport and societal issue, not a swimming issue. We need the USOC, as our representative to the real world, to stop staring at their navel with their endless introspection, scandals and personnel turnover, and do something for all of us in Sports. Be relevant, USOC!

Number Three – Encourage USA-S to enthusiastically embrace the work of the Governance Task Force and consultants. A lot of major changes are recommended. Lets not tinker with them much. Remember that a committee set on building a horse came up with the camel…trust the consensus work of the committee and consultants. Forget who’s a volunteer, and who’s a coach.

Put aside all the petty differences. Work for what’s best for athletes, and the clubs who find them, build them into athletes and help them succeed in every way, from their first racing dive to their Olympic Gold Medal.

   We need every swimming person behind change NOW, while the roof is sound, so it will be even better when it rains. We’re good. We’re the best in history. But we can be SO MUCH BETTER. Let's get there!