A Message From USA Swimming President Bruce Stratton

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

The “President’s Message” is a continuing effort on my part to keep the members of USA Swimming informed about current happenings in our sport and our organization.  Please feel free to share this message with others

The USA Swimming Foundation just held the 8^th annual Golden Goggles Awards and it was a tremendous success with over 600 attendees.  The ceremony provided yet another example of what great athletes we have.  Not only are they great in the pool, but more importantly, they are true champions out of the pool.  I feel very proud to be associated with some of the finest young men and women in the world.

In conjunction with the Golden Goggles, we also had a Board of Directors meeting.  Our Executive Director, Chuck Wielgus, always provides a general update to our Board of Directors for each of our meetings and I think you will find it informative.  Please click here to see the entire report. 

I know a number of you have recently been the recipients of several anonymous emails.  It would be easy to get caught up in these anonymous emails that make disparaging claims and judgments about good, honest, and hard-working staff and volunteers within USA Swimming.  We have tried hard in our athlete protection program to encourage anyone who has been a victim to come forward.  It is particularly troubling that these malicious attacks discourage that.  It is time to make a stand and let people know that anonymous, misinformed attacks are not going to be part of the process.  Please join me in an open, constructive dialogue in all facets of the organization.

Athlete Protection Education:

Athlete protection continues to be one of our primary concerns as we strive to provide for the safety and well-being of all our athletes.  This past year we adopted many new policies and procedures that have made USA Swimming the leader and gold-standard organization in the Olympic family.  The most critical piece of this is education and beginning with this registration year, all non-athlete members are required to take, at no cost, a one-hour web-based class on athlete protection.  It is an excellent presentation and I believe you will find it very beneficial.

The deadline for completing the education requirement is December 31.  Although over 13,000 members have completed the course, there are still about 17,000 who need to complete it before the end of the year.  In order to avoid an overload on the system the last few weeks of the year, I strongly encourage you to take the course as soon as possible.

The required athlete protection training for non-athlete members is the first of several planned athlete protection training programs that will be available to USA Swimming members.  We are currently developing a similar online training course for parents and athletes age 11 & over. We are also developing age appropriate education materials for parents to talk with athletes ages 10 & under.  These programs, which will be voluntary and free to our members, are expected to launch in the first quarter of 2012.

Committee Appointments:

We have just finished the process of appointing new committee members for the coming year and I have to say is one of the most difficult things I have to do.    Our current rules generally provide that we appoint committee members for a four-year term on a rotating basis so that approximately one-fourth of the committee members turn over each year.  In addition, membership is limited to only two, four-year terms on a particular committee.  This process provides for a reasonable and needed membership consistency from year-to-year while at the same time insuring there is turnover and an opportunity for new members and new ideas on an annual basis.

Unfortunately, we always have many more applicants for committee appointments than we have positions to fill.  For this upcoming year, we had 94 applications, but only 40 positions available.  Last year, there were 137 applications and only 82 positions available.  If you completed an application and were not appointed to a committee, please do not get discouraged or think you are being overlooked.  It is an incredibly difficult process and not being appointed to a committee does not mean you are not qualified or not wanted.  We do have a need every year for separate task forces or subcommittees and make every effort to include people who have applied for a committee position and not appointed.

I depend very heavily on input from our Vice-Presidents and ask them to use the following general guidelines in making recommendations for committee appointments:

Ø   It is important to balance having continuing experience on a committee with allowing new volunteers to get involved;

Ø   Consider the geographic make-up of the committee, along with being inclusive of unrepresented or under-represented groups of our membership (i.e. gender, ethnic minorities, etc.);

Ø   Except in very unusual circumstances, no one should be serving on more than one committee (OIOC being an exception because it is an elected committee);

Ø   With limited exceptions, we should only consider people who have submitted an application, especially for any new committee members; and

Ø   It is important to coordinate the process with the current committee chairs to identify existing committee members who are either not active or are not making a contribution.

Volunteers are the backbone of our organization.  I will do my best, in coordination with the vice presidents and committee chairs, to look for opportunities to include as many volunteers as possible in the activities of the committees.

Closing:

There are some really good things going on within USA Swimming.  It is important to me, as your president, to provide open and transparent communication to all our members.  I am always available and you should never hesitate to call or email me.  If you have any topics or questions you would like covered in a future edition, please email me at [email protected]. 

In closing, please let me extend my best wishes to all of you and your families during the upcoming holiday season!

Bruce Stratton

USA Swimming President