Swimming Blogs - Garrett McCaffrey

I made it back to the States yesterday. It was the best experience of my life, and I hope that you guys enjoyed the coverage. The next couple weeks are a pretty slow time in the swimming community. But it's not time to rest. We need to start formulating some ideas, here's where I suggest we start.

Swimming is cool. So cool that NBC has stepped in and bought rights to The World Championships in Rome. Thanks to the greatest Olympic performance in history, the top end of our sport is in a pretty good place. What about the lower levels? Is anyone else more pumped than ever for the college season? I plan on making it to as many DI, DII, DIII and High School meets as possible. But I can't make it to all of them. As the home site for the swimming community, I'm reaching out for help. We need some people willing to take on some of the work. Example: conference coverages, if any of you are in a position where you can get to and cover a couple conference duel meets, it would be a great way to promote yourself, those teams, and that conference. There are ways we can get help with the finances but before we explore those options I need people who have the time and passion. The same goes for high school.

Club meets are the best way to promote the most swimmers and they are the heart and soul of our sport. Don't forget that, because sometimes I worry that the people in positions of power do. We need to make these meet videos available for everyone to watch. Whether its a college coach or a distant relative, people want to see those races. The days of the results page are history. We have the technology to cover and put up any meet, and all we need is permission and people to do it.

Race videos. I think that's the starting point. Let's talk about other ideas, and ways that we can make it happen. In the last 12 months swimming has taken huge steps. Time to re-load and figure out how we can keep this wave rolling.