Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Carmel Swim Club: Doing it ‘For the Team’
For #ThankYouCoach month, we spoke to Chris Plumb of the Carmel Swim Club in Carmel, Indiana. Carmel Swim Club put Jake Mitchell and Drew Kibler on the 2020 Tokyo Olympic team, had several athletes at both Wave I and Wave II of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Swimming, and have two current members of the National Junior Team.
Despite all that, there is one memory that struck Plumb as something to make him especially proud.
Once the trophies were awarded at a high school meet that his swimmers participated in, he spotted two of his swimmers circling the deck, picking up trash.
“I was like, ‘this is it!’” Plumb recalled in an interview with USASwimming.org. “You can do all these things, and swim fast, but you need to have the character and develop the athletes that not just think about themselves but think about the sport itself and the community and trying to make the sport better.”
In making the sport better, Carmel Swim Club relies on their team values of courage, perseverance, and “FTT” – for the team. The club has been built on those values as a backbone, with the additional philosophy that the club should serve its community while also striving for excellence in producing world-class athletes and Olympians.
In 2004, Carmel Swim Club had zero Olympic Trials qualifiers but sought to change that under a program they developed called “Operation Omaha.” Under this idea, they developed and trained athletes to land two swimmers at the 2008 Olympic Trials. Since then, the club has had benchmarks of athletes on junior team trips, National Junior Team rosters and appearances at World Junior Championships, Junior Pan Pacs and FINA World Championships (25m).
Swimmers on the team were inspired, and it became a cycle. More swimmers qualified for Trials in 2012 and 2016. Plus, the coaches saw potential for Jake Mitchell and Drew Kibler to make the 2020 Olympic Team in Tokyo.
Of course, plans were adjusted after the Trials were moved to 2021. But Mitchell’s plan to rejoin Carmel Swim Club to train following competing during his freshman year at the University of Michigan reenergized and motivated the team from the top-down.
One Friday night, before the qualification period for Trials closed, Carmel Swim Club athlete Griffin Hadley raced a time trial. The whole club stayed after practice to watch the lone racer – including Jake Mitchell, Plumb recalled. Hadley made the Trial cut by 0.02 seconds. But since nothing is just a coincidence, thinks Plumb, seeing Hadley successfully swim a time trial, alone in a pool, to make the cut, likely taught Mitchell a lesson.
At Trials, only one of the swimmers in the men’s 400m freestyle final had made the “A” cut to be eligible for the Olympic team. Kieran Smith made the team and made the “A” cut, but Mitchell finished second outside the time. He was forced into a time trial to make him eligible for the U.S. Olympic roster.
Plumb reminded Mitchell that his teammate Kibler had made the team earlier in the night, in the 200m freestyle.
“I told Jake, after Drew made it, ‘you’ve beaten him in practice,’” Plumb said of their in-practice duels. “‘He’s an Olympian. You’re an Olympian. Go do this.’ He just saw his teammate do it that night, too, and I think that also gave Jake the confidence and strength to make it in the 400m free.”
Alone in the water, Mitchell had the choice to succeed and win a spot in Tokyo or not make the “A” cut and open up the chance to be on the Olympic roster to other swimmers.
He touched nearly a second faster than the “A” cut required, making the team and becoming the youngest male swimmer on the U.S.’ Olympic swimming roster (19).
That time trial was another special moment for Plumb. He called any time a swimmer achieves something they didn’t think they could do a source of pride. He recalled afterwards an outpouring of “tremendous” emotion, one part pride and another part relief.
“More importantly, [Mitchell] demonstrated the will and the character to step up in that moment,” Plumb said. “I’ve seen it from that young man and I know our club helped develop him. He also helped develop us as a club. I just think it was a great moment for Jake and Carmel Swim Club when he did that. We were just so happy for him.”
Operation Omaha will continue to grow, Plumb said. While acknowledging the solid efforts of Mitchell and Kibler in Tokyo, he said, “it’s like, well, I think we want medals. Right?”
Chasing the hardware, as Plumb said, is motivating for the swimmers on the club as well as the coaching staff, who continually strive to improve and learn. The entire team can benefit from what the Club achieved in 2021 as a blueprint, and continue the cycle of developing star athletes.
Despite all that, there is one memory that struck Plumb as something to make him especially proud.
Once the trophies were awarded at a high school meet that his swimmers participated in, he spotted two of his swimmers circling the deck, picking up trash.
“I was like, ‘this is it!’” Plumb recalled in an interview with USASwimming.org. “You can do all these things, and swim fast, but you need to have the character and develop the athletes that not just think about themselves but think about the sport itself and the community and trying to make the sport better.”
In making the sport better, Carmel Swim Club relies on their team values of courage, perseverance, and “FTT” – for the team. The club has been built on those values as a backbone, with the additional philosophy that the club should serve its community while also striving for excellence in producing world-class athletes and Olympians.
In 2004, Carmel Swim Club had zero Olympic Trials qualifiers but sought to change that under a program they developed called “Operation Omaha.” Under this idea, they developed and trained athletes to land two swimmers at the 2008 Olympic Trials. Since then, the club has had benchmarks of athletes on junior team trips, National Junior Team rosters and appearances at World Junior Championships, Junior Pan Pacs and FINA World Championships (25m).
Swimmers on the team were inspired, and it became a cycle. More swimmers qualified for Trials in 2012 and 2016. Plus, the coaches saw potential for Jake Mitchell and Drew Kibler to make the 2020 Olympic Team in Tokyo.
Of course, plans were adjusted after the Trials were moved to 2021. But Mitchell’s plan to rejoin Carmel Swim Club to train following competing during his freshman year at the University of Michigan reenergized and motivated the team from the top-down.
One Friday night, before the qualification period for Trials closed, Carmel Swim Club athlete Griffin Hadley raced a time trial. The whole club stayed after practice to watch the lone racer – including Jake Mitchell, Plumb recalled. Hadley made the Trial cut by 0.02 seconds. But since nothing is just a coincidence, thinks Plumb, seeing Hadley successfully swim a time trial, alone in a pool, to make the cut, likely taught Mitchell a lesson.
At Trials, only one of the swimmers in the men’s 400m freestyle final had made the “A” cut to be eligible for the Olympic team. Kieran Smith made the team and made the “A” cut, but Mitchell finished second outside the time. He was forced into a time trial to make him eligible for the U.S. Olympic roster.
Plumb reminded Mitchell that his teammate Kibler had made the team earlier in the night, in the 200m freestyle.
“I told Jake, after Drew made it, ‘you’ve beaten him in practice,’” Plumb said of their in-practice duels. “‘He’s an Olympian. You’re an Olympian. Go do this.’ He just saw his teammate do it that night, too, and I think that also gave Jake the confidence and strength to make it in the 400m free.”
Alone in the water, Mitchell had the choice to succeed and win a spot in Tokyo or not make the “A” cut and open up the chance to be on the Olympic roster to other swimmers.
He touched nearly a second faster than the “A” cut required, making the team and becoming the youngest male swimmer on the U.S.’ Olympic swimming roster (19).
That time trial was another special moment for Plumb. He called any time a swimmer achieves something they didn’t think they could do a source of pride. He recalled afterwards an outpouring of “tremendous” emotion, one part pride and another part relief.
“More importantly, [Mitchell] demonstrated the will and the character to step up in that moment,” Plumb said. “I’ve seen it from that young man and I know our club helped develop him. He also helped develop us as a club. I just think it was a great moment for Jake and Carmel Swim Club when he did that. We were just so happy for him.”
Operation Omaha will continue to grow, Plumb said. While acknowledging the solid efforts of Mitchell and Kibler in Tokyo, he said, “it’s like, well, I think we want medals. Right?”
Chasing the hardware, as Plumb said, is motivating for the swimmers on the club as well as the coaching staff, who continually strive to improve and learn. The entire team can benefit from what the Club achieved in 2021 as a blueprint, and continue the cycle of developing star athletes.