Courtesy: American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA). SwimSwam does not endorse the contents of this press release.
Fort Lauderdale, FL – The American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) has announced the application period for the second year of the highly acclaimed ASCA Mentor Program is open! The deadline to apply to participate is July 21, 2022.
In the inaugural year of the program, 100% of the participants said they would recommend this supportive and inspiring program to a colleague or friend.
Here’s what some participants said:
“This mentor program meant the world to me. I now have confidence in my coaching and the ability to help kids get to college swimming. Thank you ASCA for everything you’ve done to create this program! I loved it so much!
– Coach Jodie Jordan, East Carolina Aquatics
“The ASCA Mentor Program introduced me to coaches from across the country that I would not normally cross paths with. I have developed friendships and a great network of coaches who I can bounce ideas off of at a moment’s notice. I will be in touch with the members of my Mentor Triad long after this year’s program is over.
– Coach Dan Mascolo, Head Swim Coach, Y-Spartaquatics Swim Club (YSSC-SC)
“The best part of this program is having coaches to discuss issues with that I don’t normally get to work with. From a mental health perspective, it is nice to talk about issues while not on deck.” – Coach Brian Botzman, United Aquatics Club
“It was nice having a set time each month to take a break from the rigors of daily coaching to chat with others. Our group members experienced highs and lows over the course of the past year, and we helped each other out.”
– Coach Chris Marshall, Marist School Swim Team
“I enjoyed getting to know some of the younger coaches in ASCA and being able to maybe help them avoid some of the pitfalls of coaching swimming. Having two coaches that have experience made for a great exchange of ideas.”
– Coach Jeffrey Armstrong, Westside Waves
The ASCA Mentor Program groups a gold, silver and bronze level coach (based on years of experience) in a triad that meets in a monthly virtual meeting for 10 months. At the beginning, middle and end of the experience, the whole group gathers on virtual meetings to learn leadership tips and how to get the most out of the program. Leadership coach Jeff Raker joins the calls to share advice and guide the discussion.
“We are so grateful to the CSCAA for sharing the concept for this program with us,” said ASCA CEO Jennifer LaMont. “Coach Jeanne Fleck established this mentor program for college coaches and really refined it. She very generously told us at ASCA to take it and run with it for all other coaches, and our members love it!”
To apply for the 2022-2023 ASCA Mentor Program cohort, coaches must complete and submit an application no later than July 21, 2022. This program is only available to coaches in the U.S. Click here to learn more about the program and to apply or go to www.swimmingcoach.org.
This program and many others initiated by new CEO Jennifer Lamont are showing to be highly successful and strongly supported by our membership. Word is getting out that ASCA is here to serve the needs of the coaches and I firmly believe that this is happening. ASCA is committed to leading its coaches and providing resources to help coaches thrive.
Jennifer has done an excellent job, and I like many of the board members and staff, but why hasn’t action been taken to prosecute John Leonard or file a civil suit to recoup the ASCA membership money that he walked out the door with? I understand the negative PR that it would cause, but they should at least boot Leonard from his undeserved spot in the ASCA Hall of Fame and file paperwork with Safesport to permanently ban him from the sport.
I’ve now served on their Board of Directors for the past few years (volunteer position). The people involved are hard working and truly care about our sport and all Coaches. If you haven’t checked things out lately I invite you to do so. Jennifer LaMont and her staff are 100% all in and the results are beginning to show. If it’s good enough for Ken Heis, Braden Holloway, Matt Kredich, Mike Murray, Chris Davis, Megan Oesting, Emily Melina, Ellen Johnston, Jimmy Tierney, Mitch Dalton, Russell Mark, Bill Dorenkott, Mohamed Abdelaal, Doug Wharam, Dave Gibson and thousands of other US Coaches, then good enough for me. More to come from ASCA that you will see rolling out over the next several… Read more »
The only good thing about ASCA is that Jim Leonard is dunzo. Other than that, it’s useless.
I don’t like Leonard either, and I believe he should be prosecuted and banned by Safesport for what he did to the ASCA membership on the way out the door. However, there is a need, more than ever (with the cuts at USA Swimming), for professional coaching education and club guidance. I think there is hope for ASCA and believe they are starting to do good things considering the financial shambles the organization was left in when Leonard made his exit.