Rebuilding and Revitalizing Your USA Swimming Club: The “#WorkWorks” Playbook

By Mike Murray, Swim Coach & Athletic Director: Sharks Swim Club & The Albany Academy

From a small town to a USA Swimming Club Excellence Team.

When we took the reins at Victor Swim Club in 2012, our vision was simple but ambitious: build a sustainable, competitive, and community-driven swim program that not only developed fast swimmers but great people. Over the next decade, through collaboration, innovation, and persistence, our club grew into one of the most successful programs in the Niagara LSC, producing Olympic Trial Qualifiers, Junior National qualifiers, collegiate swimmers, and a deeply rooted culture of excellence. 

But it didn’t happen overnight. Rebuilding and revitalizing a USA Swimming Club requires patience, leadership, and the ability to see beyond the walls of your own pool. Whether you’re a head coach, board member, or community partner, the goal is to create a program that thrives on connection between athletes, families, coaches, and the broader aquatic community. Victor Swim Club had traditionally focused only on high school-level development, with little vision beyond preparing swimmers for school-based swimming success. 

Below are the guiding principles and actionable strategies we used to transform Victor, tools that any team, big or small, can adopt to strengthen their foundation and grow their impact.

1. Align the Vision: Coach + Board + Community

No swim program can grow without alignment between its leadership and stakeholders. The first step in rebuilding a club is to bring everyone to the same table.

Here’s how we did it at Victor:

• Establish a shared mission. We clarified our “why.” Our mission wasn’t just to prepare athletes for success in the sport: it was to teach life lessons through competitive swimming. That statement became the lens for every decision. Swimming became our vehicle to develop young people.
  
  
• Define clear roles. Coaches coach, boards govern, and parents support. When each group understands and respects its lane, you minimize friction and maximize progress.
  
  
• Hold regular strategy meetings. Early on, our board and coaching staff met monthly to discuss both logistics and long-term goals: membership targets, facility use, meet hosting, community events, and team culture.
  
  

Action item: Schedule a quarterly “State of the Team” meeting that includes coaches, board members, and select parent reps. Review mission alignment, membership data, and goals. Transparency breeds trust. Familiarize your staff with the USA Swimming Club Portal, and use the analytics to make informed programmatic decisions. 

2. Build a Staff That Shares Your Values

Great coaches attract great swimmers. But great leadership attracts great coaches.

At Victor, we made it a priority to develop a staff culture where every assistant coach felt empowered and supported. That meant investing in education, communication, and growth opportunities.

Key steps:

• Mentor young coaches. Provide them with leadership roles in smaller groups or age-specific squads. Give them ownership and trust them to lead.
  
  
• Create professional development pathways. We encouraged staff to attend USA Swimming’s regional and national coaching clinics, and we budgeted for it, as well as ASCA programming.
  
  
• Establish open communication. Weekly coach meetings, shared goal sheets, and season plans enabled everyone to stay aligned.
  
  

Action item: Build a “Coaching Development Plan” for your staff. Outline goals for each coach’s progression and offer resources for growth. A thriving staff leads to thriving athletes.

3. Strengthen Community Relationships

A swim club’s long-term stability depends heavily on its community partnerships, especially with local schools and recreation departments.

At Victor, we learned early that access to pool time is the lifeblood of any club. Our relationship with the Victor Central School District and the Perinton Recreation Center became foundational to our success.

Through consistent communication and a collaborative spirit, we negotiated mutually beneficial facility contracts and shared scheduling. The Perinton collaboration expanded our footprint, gave us visibility in the broader Rochester community, and positioned VSC as a partner, not just a tenant.

How to do it:

• Treat facility staff as part of your team. Invite them to meets, thank them publicly, and include them in recognition posts. Our pool custodian, Rueben, played a critical role in our operations. 
  
  
• Offer value back. Provide swim lessons, stroke clinics, or work for their community “learn to swim” programs. Offer to work as a lifeguard or help provide staff for their facility. When you give back, you earn trust and priority.
  
  
• Formalize agreements. A clear contract ensures predictable access and builds professionalism.
  
  

Action item: Identify one new potential partnership (school, YMCA, or REC center) and schedule an introductory meeting. Focus the conversation on shared value, not just access.

4. Think Outside the Box

The best programs evolve by collaborating rather than competing.

At Victor, we began to connect with other coaches and programs across the region: sharing training ideas, co-hosting clinics, and even running combined practice opportunities for senior-level athletes. That open-minded approach reduced isolation and fostered a sense of shared mission in the Niagara LSC.

We leveraged our relationships with nationwide businesses, such as Fitter & Faster, to showcase our facility and coaches, and connect local swimmers with national team members. 

When programs stop guarding their playbook and start exchanging ideas, everyone wins, especially the athletes.

Action item: Invite a local club or coach to collaborate on a clinic, shared training day, or team-building event. Post about it. Share credit generously. 

5. Leverage Social Media: Tell Your Story

Your online presence is often your first handshake with the community. During our growth years, I made a deliberate effort to showcase what we were doing: highlighting swimmers, assistant coaches, and community partnerships.

Social media isn’t just marketing: it’s storytelling.

How to use it effectively:

1. Post consistently. Share practice highlights, swimmer achievements, and team culture moments at least 2–3 times per week.
   
   
2. Spotlight your staff. Introduce assistant coaches and their coaching philosophies. It builds credibility and connection.
   
   
3. Celebrate small wins. Not every post has to be a record or a championship. Highlight effort, teamwork, and progress.
   
   
4. Engage with local media and schools. Tag partners, repost community updates, and show gratitude.
   
   
5. Use visuals wisely. High-quality photos and short video clips boost engagement dramatically.
   
   

Action item: Assign a social media liaison (coach or parent volunteer) to oversee weekly posts and engagement. Plan content ahead using a shared calendar.

6. Drive Enrollment Through Visibility and Value

Recruitment isn’t just about advertising; it’s about building a visible, positive presence in your community.

Strategies that worked for Victor:

• Offer free stroke clinics for local swimmers interested in joining.
  
  
• Partner with PE departments to introduce swim lessons or conditioning units.
  
  
• Attend school events. Set up a table at community fairs and back-to-school nights.
  
  
• Create a referral program. Reward families who bring in new swimmers with discounted dues or team gear.
  
  

When families see a vibrant, well-run, and welcoming program, they want to be part of it.

Action item: Design one new outreach event this season: a “Try VSC Night,” “Family Fun Swim,” or “Team Open House.” Promote it across your social platforms. We often ran a Halloween Parade in the fall, and other seasonal events to attract new membership. 

7. Lead with Vision and Gratitude

At the end of the day, rebuilding a program takes people, people who believe in the mission, trust the process, and stay the course.

From our board to our coaches to our families, Victor Swim Club grew because we all shared the same heartbeat: a love for swimming and a commitment to kids. Every success, every new member, new cut, new partnership, was built on collaboration and gratitude.

If you’re rebuilding your club, remember:

• Celebrate progress, not just perfection.
  
  
• Thank your volunteers.
  
  
• Keep your mission visible.
  
  
• Stay adaptable, “humble, and hungry,” as Coach Arthur Albiero often says.
  
  

Revitalizing a USA Swimming Club is as much about culture as it is about competition. It’s about creating an environment where coaches are inspired, athletes are motivated, and families feel part of something meaningful.

The lessons we learned at Victor Swim Club, which we continue to carry into our work today, are that great programs are built on relationships, trust, and vision. When those three things align, success follows naturally.

Quick Reference: 10 Action Items for Your Club

1. Define your mission and share it publicly.
   
   
2. Clarify roles between the board and coaches.
   
   
3. Schedule quarterly “State of the Team” meetings.
   
   
4. Develop a coaching mentorship pipeline.
   
   
5. Build community and facility partnerships.
   
   
6. Collaborate with other clubs and coaches.
   
   
7. Assign a social media lead.
   
   
8. Celebrate process and progress on social platforms.
   
   
9. Offer community events and clinics.
   
   
10. Lead with gratitude and humility.