Friday, May 20, 2022
Attendees From the 2022 USA Swimming Workshop Presented by LiveBarn Share Their Experiences
Hundreds of members from the USA Swimming community were in Denver from April 21-24 for the USA Swimming Workshop presented by LiveBarn. The four-day event allowed attendees to connect, network and learn about new initiatives and opportunities in the works at USA Swimming. Numerous attendees from the Workshop offered their takeaways and perspectives below!
Marci Callan (MC) – Niagara Swimming, Governance Chair and Coach Advisory Committee member.
Mary Ellen Tynan (MET) – Maine LSC, Office Administrator (soon to be Executive Director)
Hector Becerra (HB) – South Texas Swimming, Junior Coach Representative
Mindy Donofrio (MD) – South Texas Swimming, Executive Secretary
Courtney Fazenbaker (CF) – Allegheny Mountain Swimming, Coach Representative
Taylor Rogers (TR) – Maine Swimming, General Chair
What sessions did you find most helpful?
MET – I thought that the first SWIMS 3.0 session as wonderful. I think it really eased a lot of people’s fears for sure. SWIMS 3.0 seems pretty intuitive. . . I thought the Governance session was an amazing idea and was really helpful to the groups presenting the proposals. Lots of good ideas were discussed.
HB – All of the sessions I attended were helpful, but for me I found the Coach Certification, DEI and Zone meting to be the ones I got the most out of.
CF – I found the USADA education session very helpful and reassuring. I have a lot of parents ask me about nutrition and I always push getting the proper nutrition through foods and not supplements. Some, especially our parents of older swimmers, look at me like I just don’t know what I am talking about or that I don’t know anything about supplements, so I don’t suggest them. During the session, the speaker talked about a food first approach, so I felt more confident in what I was telling my athletes.
TR – On a personal level, I found the conversation with Schuyler [Bailar] and Leland [Brown III] to be the most impactful DEI session I have ever attended. It helped me start to fill my toolkit with ways to be a better ally and to have more impactful and effective conversations. From an LSC perspective, the athlete goal-setting session facilitated by the AEC has already changed the trajectory of Maine Swimming and helped us refocus and set a new course for the coming years.
How did your LSC decide to make the commitment for you to attend?
MET – Maine decided really early on that it was important for us to be well-represented and to get people to these really important sessions. We sent six people, two of whom were athletes. Three of us are on National Committtess (we had a fourth but she had a conflict) so the LSC really wanted to support us all. We sent the General Chair, Coach Rep, DEI, Office, Senior Athlete Rep and Junior Athlete Rep. This was a HUGE financial commitment for a very small LSC.
MD – I was the registration chair with SWIMS 3.0 so I really needed to go. Other than me, South Texas has five other non-athletes (boad members and governance chair, along with an athlete).
CF – Our LSC sent myself (our coach rep) so that I could pass along information on the new coaching certification requirements and any other information that I felt would benefit our clubs. Our tech planning chair was sent to learn more about the new SWIMS updates, our DEI chair went to learn more about what we could do in our LSC for DEI.
Did you get the chance to speak to USA Swimming staff?
MC – Yes, I met with several of them — Joel [Shinofield] and Lindsay [Mintenko], I’m going to be reaching out to Jake [Grosser]. It was helpful.
MET – I spoke to a lot of staff – Denise [Thomas], Brendan [Hansen], Nate [Chessey], Jane [Grosser], Patrick [Murphy] and a few others I think. All of the conversations were extremely helpful and helped me gain insight.
HB – Yes and yes! I had met a few of the USA Swimming staff before and it was great to reconnect with them.
MD – Yes, I spoke with several USA Swimming staff. Everyone was very helpful and gave us some good ideas about going forward. [I] talked with Brendan Hansesn a long time about how to utilize our money to help develop coaches and athletes.
CF – I talked to Nate [Chessey] briefly about who I would go to should I have any questions moving forward about my role as coaches rep. Beth Winkowski also reached out and said she was looking for me, but was not able to find me. I also talked to Hilary [Perez] briefly. It was good to meet people in person to find out who I would go to for certain things. I also liked just learning about the different staff members’ roles. I went to school for communications with a concentration in marketing and advertising and I was in marketing for five or six years before I made the switch to full-time coaching and it was cool to see the different corporate level roles in a sport I am passionate about.
TR – I was able to have a variety of conversations and meetings with several members of the USA Swimming staff. As a member of the Rules & Regulations Committee, it was great to finally meet Abby Howard and Michelle Steinfeld in person and to catch up ahead of our spring committee meetings. Our Athlete Representatives were able to secure time to speak with Brendan Hansen about their EZ Leadership proposal and the kind programming support that USA Swimming will be able to provide. This was extremely helpful for them as they put the budget together and narrowed the focus for the schedule of events. Throughout the weekend, we were also able to have a variety of in-depth conversations with Nate Chessey about things happening in our LSC and the Eastern Zone. It was incredible to be able to sit down and talk about our goals as an LSC and to talk through the specific challenges and opportunities for growth we are seeing in Maine Swimming right now. Building that relationship and knowing that we have the support of dedicated USA Swimming staff is truly invaluable and we are excited to continue to grow this connection moving forward.
What were some of your overall takeaways?
MD – Overall, it was a great meeting. Not only did I get vital information from USA Swimming but it also gave several of our board members a chance to get together in person which fostered discussions about the direction of our LSC. It was also great seeing the athletes engaged in the meeting and the direction of swimming.
CF – I thought the sessions in general had a great mix of information, but also interaction. It wasn’t just sitting and listening to someone talk for an extended amount of time. I liked the small breakout sessions within the session so that people were able to meet and interact. I felt that helped with keeping the audience’s attention and kept everyone engaged.
What did you enjoy the most about the USA Swimming Workshop?
MC: I liked just having USA Swimming attending, the meetings were up to date and informative.
MET: I enjoyed seeing everyone in person. The connections I make at these events in invaluable. After coming out of COVID and seeing people on Zoom, you felt like you knew them. People came up to me and introduced themselves and we scheduled time to talk next month. I was able to have dinner with different LSC [members] to share ideas. Spending time with Nate [Chessey] and Brendan [Hansen] was so important for my Maine athletes.
HB – I really enjoyed attending a live, in-person event. For me, this is the first year to travel for swimming-related workshops and clinics, and I liked the format that was put together for this one. I like that there was something for everyone, the morning events were a great addition and trivia social was fun. I really enjoyed the ability to network but most of all I feel like I learned a lot.
CF – I think what I enjoyed most was getting to see the athletes interact and share ideas and experiences. My program currently does not have a lot of engaged older swimmers and it was refreshing and reassuring to see that there ARE older athletes out there who are excited about the sport and looking to make a difference.
TR – It was great to be back in person and spend four days together with people who are so passionate about our sport. After events like this, I always return to MESI feeling unbelievably motivated, inspired and full of ideas to bring back to our LSC. This year in particular, I was also blown away by the athlete leaders who were in attendance, especially during the legislative review session. Between Ryan Gibbons facilitating the session, the AEC presenting their proposed change to the 120-day rule for transfers, and all the athletes who elevated the discussions with their comments, questions and suggestions, it was an amazing example of leadership, thoughtful consideration, powerful advocacy for the causes you believe in, and respectful debate of ideas. I hope all the athletes in attendance left feeling empowered to speak up and use their power and influence to affect change in their own LSCs and that my fellow non-athlete leaders recognized the unbelievable opportunities we have to elevate, strengthen, and transform our sport as long as we continue to Keep Athletes First and the center the athlete voice, their needs, and their concerns in every conversation we have, decision we make and thing that we do.
To view more on the 2022 USA Swimming Workshop presented by LiveBarn, visit https://www.usaswimming.org/coaches-leaders/team-leaders/programs-services#usa-swimming-workshop-presented-by-livebarn.
Marci Callan (MC) – Niagara Swimming, Governance Chair and Coach Advisory Committee member.
Mary Ellen Tynan (MET) – Maine LSC, Office Administrator (soon to be Executive Director)
Hector Becerra (HB) – South Texas Swimming, Junior Coach Representative
Mindy Donofrio (MD) – South Texas Swimming, Executive Secretary
Courtney Fazenbaker (CF) – Allegheny Mountain Swimming, Coach Representative
Taylor Rogers (TR) – Maine Swimming, General Chair
What sessions did you find most helpful?
MET – I thought that the first SWIMS 3.0 session as wonderful. I think it really eased a lot of people’s fears for sure. SWIMS 3.0 seems pretty intuitive. . . I thought the Governance session was an amazing idea and was really helpful to the groups presenting the proposals. Lots of good ideas were discussed.
HB – All of the sessions I attended were helpful, but for me I found the Coach Certification, DEI and Zone meting to be the ones I got the most out of.
CF – I found the USADA education session very helpful and reassuring. I have a lot of parents ask me about nutrition and I always push getting the proper nutrition through foods and not supplements. Some, especially our parents of older swimmers, look at me like I just don’t know what I am talking about or that I don’t know anything about supplements, so I don’t suggest them. During the session, the speaker talked about a food first approach, so I felt more confident in what I was telling my athletes.
TR – On a personal level, I found the conversation with Schuyler [Bailar] and Leland [Brown III] to be the most impactful DEI session I have ever attended. It helped me start to fill my toolkit with ways to be a better ally and to have more impactful and effective conversations. From an LSC perspective, the athlete goal-setting session facilitated by the AEC has already changed the trajectory of Maine Swimming and helped us refocus and set a new course for the coming years.
How did your LSC decide to make the commitment for you to attend?
MET – Maine decided really early on that it was important for us to be well-represented and to get people to these really important sessions. We sent six people, two of whom were athletes. Three of us are on National Committtess (we had a fourth but she had a conflict) so the LSC really wanted to support us all. We sent the General Chair, Coach Rep, DEI, Office, Senior Athlete Rep and Junior Athlete Rep. This was a HUGE financial commitment for a very small LSC.
MD – I was the registration chair with SWIMS 3.0 so I really needed to go. Other than me, South Texas has five other non-athletes (boad members and governance chair, along with an athlete).
CF – Our LSC sent myself (our coach rep) so that I could pass along information on the new coaching certification requirements and any other information that I felt would benefit our clubs. Our tech planning chair was sent to learn more about the new SWIMS updates, our DEI chair went to learn more about what we could do in our LSC for DEI.
Did you get the chance to speak to USA Swimming staff?
MC – Yes, I met with several of them — Joel [Shinofield] and Lindsay [Mintenko], I’m going to be reaching out to Jake [Grosser]. It was helpful.
MET – I spoke to a lot of staff – Denise [Thomas], Brendan [Hansen], Nate [Chessey], Jane [Grosser], Patrick [Murphy] and a few others I think. All of the conversations were extremely helpful and helped me gain insight.
HB – Yes and yes! I had met a few of the USA Swimming staff before and it was great to reconnect with them.
MD – Yes, I spoke with several USA Swimming staff. Everyone was very helpful and gave us some good ideas about going forward. [I] talked with Brendan Hansesn a long time about how to utilize our money to help develop coaches and athletes.
CF – I talked to Nate [Chessey] briefly about who I would go to should I have any questions moving forward about my role as coaches rep. Beth Winkowski also reached out and said she was looking for me, but was not able to find me. I also talked to Hilary [Perez] briefly. It was good to meet people in person to find out who I would go to for certain things. I also liked just learning about the different staff members’ roles. I went to school for communications with a concentration in marketing and advertising and I was in marketing for five or six years before I made the switch to full-time coaching and it was cool to see the different corporate level roles in a sport I am passionate about.
TR – I was able to have a variety of conversations and meetings with several members of the USA Swimming staff. As a member of the Rules & Regulations Committee, it was great to finally meet Abby Howard and Michelle Steinfeld in person and to catch up ahead of our spring committee meetings. Our Athlete Representatives were able to secure time to speak with Brendan Hansen about their EZ Leadership proposal and the kind programming support that USA Swimming will be able to provide. This was extremely helpful for them as they put the budget together and narrowed the focus for the schedule of events. Throughout the weekend, we were also able to have a variety of in-depth conversations with Nate Chessey about things happening in our LSC and the Eastern Zone. It was incredible to be able to sit down and talk about our goals as an LSC and to talk through the specific challenges and opportunities for growth we are seeing in Maine Swimming right now. Building that relationship and knowing that we have the support of dedicated USA Swimming staff is truly invaluable and we are excited to continue to grow this connection moving forward.
What were some of your overall takeaways?
MD – Overall, it was a great meeting. Not only did I get vital information from USA Swimming but it also gave several of our board members a chance to get together in person which fostered discussions about the direction of our LSC. It was also great seeing the athletes engaged in the meeting and the direction of swimming.
CF – I thought the sessions in general had a great mix of information, but also interaction. It wasn’t just sitting and listening to someone talk for an extended amount of time. I liked the small breakout sessions within the session so that people were able to meet and interact. I felt that helped with keeping the audience’s attention and kept everyone engaged.
What did you enjoy the most about the USA Swimming Workshop?
MC: I liked just having USA Swimming attending, the meetings were up to date and informative.
MET: I enjoyed seeing everyone in person. The connections I make at these events in invaluable. After coming out of COVID and seeing people on Zoom, you felt like you knew them. People came up to me and introduced themselves and we scheduled time to talk next month. I was able to have dinner with different LSC [members] to share ideas. Spending time with Nate [Chessey] and Brendan [Hansen] was so important for my Maine athletes.
HB – I really enjoyed attending a live, in-person event. For me, this is the first year to travel for swimming-related workshops and clinics, and I liked the format that was put together for this one. I like that there was something for everyone, the morning events were a great addition and trivia social was fun. I really enjoyed the ability to network but most of all I feel like I learned a lot.
CF – I think what I enjoyed most was getting to see the athletes interact and share ideas and experiences. My program currently does not have a lot of engaged older swimmers and it was refreshing and reassuring to see that there ARE older athletes out there who are excited about the sport and looking to make a difference.
TR – It was great to be back in person and spend four days together with people who are so passionate about our sport. After events like this, I always return to MESI feeling unbelievably motivated, inspired and full of ideas to bring back to our LSC. This year in particular, I was also blown away by the athlete leaders who were in attendance, especially during the legislative review session. Between Ryan Gibbons facilitating the session, the AEC presenting their proposed change to the 120-day rule for transfers, and all the athletes who elevated the discussions with their comments, questions and suggestions, it was an amazing example of leadership, thoughtful consideration, powerful advocacy for the causes you believe in, and respectful debate of ideas. I hope all the athletes in attendance left feeling empowered to speak up and use their power and influence to affect change in their own LSCs and that my fellow non-athlete leaders recognized the unbelievable opportunities we have to elevate, strengthen, and transform our sport as long as we continue to Keep Athletes First and the center the athlete voice, their needs, and their concerns in every conversation we have, decision we make and thing that we do.
To view more on the 2022 USA Swimming Workshop presented by LiveBarn, visit https://www.usaswimming.org/coaches-leaders/team-leaders/programs-services#usa-swimming-workshop-presented-by-livebarn.