USA Swimming has pledged an initial $1 million to help member clubs, as part of a broader recovery plan for the sport’s primary governing body in the United States. The recovery is designed to help clubs sustain through the global coronavirus pandemic that has caused the shutdown of most of the world’s swim teams and training.
The $1 million is in addition to what USA Swimming is calling “enhanced products, services & benefits to all clubs.” That includes access for uninsured coaches to USA Swimming’s Employee Assistance Program to support mental health needs and requests, and providing clubs with access to zoom. USA Swimming is also providing access to private financial counseling sessions, access to legal counsel to help guide LSCs and clubs as needed, and making ambassadors and national team athletes available for individual virtual club drop-ins.
The money was approved by the USA Swimming Foundation Board of Directors and will come from the foundation’s Board Designated Funds. Annually, these funds are discretionary for the foundation to use and are funded by the organization’s endowment.
“I would asterisk that it’s truly an initial $1 million,” USA Swimming CEO Tim Hinchey said. “So, certainly, there could be potential for more if needed. And that is something that the Foundation Board, I think, is prepared to consider if we need to go there.. But I think that anything we do right now…is going to take a lot of help from a lot of different people.
“And I think if we’re serious about doing something for those clubs that are in need, as we partner with the LSCs (Local Swimming Committees) that can help the clubs that have better resources to help clubs, that you have to start (at $1 million) to be serious.
In combination with USA Swimming’s 59 Local Swimming Committees, the regional administrative groups that run swimming at a local level, the organization says that they have set a goal to generate more than $5 million in funding across 59 LSCs.
So far, several Local Swimming Committees have committed to various programs. Among the plans announced are $650,000 in relief from the Southern California Swimming LSC, $140,000 from the North Texas Swimming LSC, $250,000 from the Gulf Swimming LSC, and an initial $85,000 from the Florida Gold Coast LSC. The Pacific Swimming LSC is pursuing a $1 million package of its own, though as far as we know, that has not yet been approved.
In total, LSCs have pledged over $3.5 million in programs – and that number is without the $1 million from Pacific Swimming.
“I think it’s more of a partnership (between USA Swimming and the LSCs,” Hinchey said. “Some started even before we got ours off the ground. So, a credit to several LSCs.
“We’ve been on LSC calls, (USA Swimming Managing Director of SPort Development) Joel (Shinofield) and his team have done LSC calls since the moment the pandemic started. We have people spend full-time working with our 59 LSCs.
“So, it’s fantastic that those LSCs that have been saving up for a rainy day. Really at the bequest of USA Swimming so many years ago, from what I understand, was to start making sure that they had reserves, and a credit to them because they’re all stepping up.”
In terms of the overall health of the organization, Hinchey says that USA Swimming was able to reduce its annual budget by about 20%, which includes a cut of “somewhere between $8 million and $9 million.”
He says that part of that has to do with moving this year’s Olympic expenses to 2021, which is the new Olympic year.
He says that the organization that has been working with the orgnanization’s external partners as well, recognizing that they’re hurting financially too and making sure that those relationships last for the long term, crediting CFO Eric Skufca for working to move some of those big partnership assets to the 2021 year.
As far as what the organization will look like when it emerges from the crisis, Hinchey says “I absolutely think it’s going to fundamentally change.”
“What I’ve told everybody very publicly is, ‘I think we’re going to be stronger coming out of this than we were going into this.’ And part of that’s because we, my team in particular, had already kind of embarked on really pivoting to becoming a better technology company.”
Hinchey says that work with people like Patrick Murphy, USA Swimming’s Director of Analytics, and Jake Grosser, USA Swimming’s Director of Business Intelligence, have already been working to makeover the company from a technological perspective. That program has been partially funding from the $5 million that the organization received from the sale of its insurance company.
He says that the need to go remote has really pushed some of those technology-based initiatives and highlighted the need for the organization to advance.
“There were multiple key initiatives, first being more investment in safe sport, obviously. But the other two other key initiatives are really backed by technology: online membership and our coaches education and accreditation platform. So the fact that we were already kind of pointed in that direction, this is going to allow us to realize the positive of us being on Zoom, right?
“Who knew that we should have invested in that a long time ago. But how we’ve been able to sit at work eight, nine, 10 hours a day. How the demand is there for us to do these virtual coach clinics, these virtual one-on-ones with coaches and some of our staff. The LSC call where everyone gets to see me and we get to talk or see Joel (Shinofield) and get to see Joel talking. Because you get to still have a little bit of empathy, right? You can still have that recognition of a human being even with technology.
“So, I think it’s definitely taught us that we were making the right decisions about heading toward technology. So, I’m more convinced that we’re going to get better and better. And I think going back to what this Summer might look like, we may be looking at virtual competitions, we may be looking at… And there’s people that have businesses that do already. Maybe we need to partner with some of those people to give us new resources and benefits.”
Hinchey highlighted the work of USA Swimming’s staff, especially the strategy team, and said how much value he’s finding in the calls with club owners, coaches, and LSCs that he’s spent more time talking through as USA Swimming focuses on this crisis.
“I think people probably looked at, ‘What are they doing in Colorado Springs?’ And now, they get to see us every day and see that we’re trying to help them and that our focus is keeping our sport alive.”
USA Swimming Grants
The Grant Guidelines developed by USA Swimming will supplement lost anticipated revenue from hosting a USA Swimming sanctioned event in March, April, or May 2020, and to offset club operating expenses that continue despite the cessation of normal club activities. USA Swimming emphasized that it is not intended to cover payroll expenses or purchase equipment.
Teams with a demonstrable need are eligible to be considered for a relief grant of up to $5,000, with an expected average grant amount of $3,000.
USA Swimming does say that they may be unable to honor every eligible request for assistance, “based on the number of teams impacted and the desire to maximize organizational benefit.”
Applications must be received by May 8, 2020, grant determinations will be completed by USA Swimming by May 22, 2020, and grant award distribution is expected by May 29, 2020.
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for a USA Swimming COVID-19 Relief Program Grant, a team must have:
- Suffered demonstrable financial losses as a result of the economic effects of COVID-19;
- Applied for local, state, and federal assistance available (e.g., Small Business Administration COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, Payroll Protection Program, etc.);
- Incurred continued operating expenses, not including payroll; and
- Developed a comprehensive return to viability plan through use of the grant and other resources.
Grant Review Considerations
Each request will be considered individually and strongest consideration will be given to those requests
which, in the collective opinion of the reviewing panel, demonstrate the most significant need. In
evaluating grant requests, the reviewing panel will consider the following:
- Whether the team provided documentation of demonstrable financial impact directly related to the economic effects of COVID-19.
- Whether the team has exhausted its reserves.
- Whether the grant proposal clearly and effectively presents a strong case for immediate support.
- Whether there is an opportunity for the team to secure matching funds. In general, all requests to use grant dollars provided by USA Swimming to match funds from other sources, for example from the team’s LSC, will merit highest consideration, and documentation of such commitment should be included in the grant application.
- Whether the team has achieved Safe Sport Club Recognition status. Secondary consideration will be given to those teams which have initiated achieving Safe Sport Club Recognition Status.
Return to The Pool
USA Swimming is also supporting the effort of clubs to return safely to the pool.
When asked if USA Swimming was lobbying governments to make sure that swim teams are able to restart at the same time as other youth sports teams, Hinchey says that they’re not.
He did say, however, that they’re using other methods to support the reopening of clubs, including utilizing support and resources they’re getting from the USOPC and their Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jonathan Finnoff.
“We’re continuing to advocate that people pay attention to the OSHA requirements, what the White House is saying, and most importantly, their local governments and States. Because ultimately what’s happening to me here in Colorado may be different from someone in Austin. So, it’s all going to be a little bit different.”
Instead, USA Swimming is focused on helping clubs making their best decisions for restarting.
“What we are trying to do is do our best to collate some of that information at a high level,” Hinchey said. “And we’re hoping to update our website with the 15 to 19 questions you need to answer in order before you think you could potentially reopen and try to give some best practices and give some thoughts to, ‘Okay. Based on what your local government is saying, be prepared, have a plan.” Because let’s be honest, we’re not going to go from, ‘Hey. We’ll all open and let’s bring back 300 kids to work out.’ That’s just not going to happen.”
He borrowed an analogy from Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, saying that ‘we need to really have a crawl, walk, run, sprint plan.’
“Right now we’re talking about crawling,” Hinchey said. “How do we call ourselves back into our facilities and get our kids re-engaged? And I think one of the things that Joel (Shinofield) and his team have been saying loud and clear in all the calls is to think about the mental health and anxiety of our athletes and coaches. And right now, it’s not the time to worry about competition, right? Right now, when we talk to kids, and even my three sons who are members of USA swimming, what they miss the most are their teammates and their coach.
“So right now, how do we get them to stay engaged? How do we get them to get excited about just coming back to practice, whatever that practice looks like? If that’s, ‘Hey, a swimmer on each end of the pool, a coach with a mask, you have to wear your suit to the pool. You go through the gate and not through the locker room.’
We’re going through all those kinds of thoughts and we’re asking our club coaches to ask all those questions, right? ‘How do we do it?’ There have been a few people that have some facilities where they had a plan and went in and they have some limited operation because they were prepared for it. So, we’re trying to help everybody, consult everybody as best we can, knowing that every circumstance is different.”
Is this a joke??? With all the membership money they’ve wasted on staff salary, attorneys and coverups in sexual abuse lawsuits, 5 million for the clubs is a mere pittance compared to that. I wish the organization was forced to go bankrupt so it could be reformed and rebuilt with ethics and serving the membership in mind.
I’d like to see them publish the salaries of the highest paid 25 employees at USA swimming and compare it to the highest paid 25 swimmers
#NotTheOnion
That must be $1M per club, right? It cannot possible be $1M for ALL clubs in USA? His salary must be more than $1M. Furlough him and all other useless executives for the rest of year and help clubs.
The grant link says clubs can receive up to $5000. Can’t be used for payroll offsetting or purchasing equipment. Priority for those who NEED it to survive if they aren’t shutting down for the Summer.
So with at least 2700 clubs (according to those scoring in VCC on USA Swimming website), split equally that comes to $369.69 per club. Meanwhile, with 400,000 registered swimmers at $70 apiece, the brought in $28 million this year.
Do we know if any of these funding considerations are available to clubs that have still had pool access throughout this pandemic? I understand that a lot of the funding that clubs are losing are due to not being able to host meets, but there are so many things to consider.