Swimming

Lots of newer coaches don’t even know who Doc Counsilman is, what are you doing to preserve and honor the great history of swimming and coaches? 

Preserving and Honoring Swimming's Coach History

I'm a firm believer in learning about the past, honoring the past, and using it, to build a future. And look, I was swimming when councilman was coaching, and I have had so many great coaches. Just so lucky to have so many and great coaches over the years that have gone on to be Hall of Famers. And I believe strongly that we need to learn from the the strong Rich history of all those coaches in the swimming community. And so at ASCO we are We are doing our best to keep that alive. We just recently, ran a article about doc councilman in our magazine. We are continuing with awards, that are named after prestigious coaches, we are going to be doing more with our Hall of Fame. We're revamping our whole Hall of Fame section of our website. We're updating all the BIOS and at World Clinic, we're planning to do more to honor and recognize those coaches. So that the new generation as they come every regeneration as they come along, they, they learn about the past and they learn about the great coaches that came before them. I think that's really important. So we're dedicated to making that happen.

ASCO is dedicated to honoring and recognizing the great coaches of the past by running articles, awarding prizes in their name, revamping Hall of Fame sections of our website, and doing more at World Clinic.

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Preserving and honoring the great history of swimming and coaches is a priority for us at ASCO. We believe in learning from the past to build a better future. Personally, I have been fortunate to have had many great coaches, including those who have become Hall of Famers. Their contributions to the swimming community are invaluable.

To keep the legacy alive, we have taken several steps. We recently featured an article about Doc Counsilman in our magazine, highlighting his impact. We continue to present awards named after prestigious coaches, and we are in the process of revamping our Hall of Fame section on our website. This includes updating biographies and providing more recognition for these influential coaches.

At our World Clinic, we have plans to do more to honor and acknowledge these coaches. It is crucial for each new generation of coaches to learn about the past and the great coaches who paved the way. We are dedicated to ensuring that this knowledge is passed on and celebrated.

How hard is it for a coach to get ASCA certified?

ASCA Certification: Worth the Effort for Coaches

So getting certified, a task a level 1 or level 2 is really not that difficult just take some time and energy. You got to take the courses and pass the courses online courses for level 1 and level 1 is foundations. Level 2 is the stroke School taught by Russell Mark. I highly recommend it even if you've taken level 2 before and that'll get you level 1 or level 2 certified for level 3, 4 and 5 it's a little more difficult. You either have to take the of the education Road. You have to take more courses and get more credits. To achieve level 3 4 and 5. If you take the performance Road for level 3, 4 and 5, you have to have a swimmer that achieves certain rankings or time standards increasingly more difficult as you go up the ladder from 3 to 5. So but definitely worth it. Makes you more valuable as a coach. It's a prestigious designation to have on your resume and you become a better Coach because you're better educated and you've achieved more. So, I hope you all will do it.

To get certified for levels 1-2, take the online courses for level 1 (Foundations) and level 2 (Stroke School). For levels 3-5, you have to either take more courses and get credits or have a swimmer that achieves certain rankings/time standards. Becoming certified makes you more valuable as a coach, is prestigious to have on your resume, and makes you a better coach due to increased education and achievement.

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Getting ASCA certified as a coach is not overly difficult, but it does require time and effort. To become certified at level 1 or level 2, you need to complete and pass the online courses. Level 1 focuses on foundations, while level 2 covers stroke school taught by Russell Mark, which is highly recommended.

Achieving certification at levels 3, 4, and 5 is a bit more challenging. You can choose either the education road, where you take additional courses and earn more credits, or the performance road, where you need a swimmer who meets specific rankings or time standards that become progressively more difficult as you move up the levels.

Becoming ASCA certified is worth it as it enhances your value as a coach and adds prestige to your resume. It also signifies that you have gained more knowledge and achieved higher levels of expertise. Ultimately, it makes you a better coach.

What does a typical day look like for you?

A Dynamic Day of Coaching: Swim Meets, Zoom Calls, and Mentorship

What does your typical day? Look like. I don't really have a typical day. My days are very different and that's what's great about my job on any given day. Like one day, I might be out at a swim meet. I may be hanging out in Hospitality or walking the deck talking to coaches, hearing what their concerns are on another day. I might be, if I'm in the office, I'm probably interacting with staff. I might be on a zoom call. I do tons of Zoom calls and they Could range from people or companies or Consultants who want to partner with us to help coaches, maybe I might be talking to coaches who are going to be our presenters at a clinic about what they should be presenting on. I might be interacting with coaches who are part of our Mentor program? I might be talking to locations or other partners to set up a Or talking about how we are communicating working with our staff. To get our Communications out to be planning, what our programs are? We do plant a planning calendar, we check in on it. So many programs were trying to get up and running between our legal program and our Mentor program and our new ambassador program. I get on all the ask a lives. Do those webinars? We did it today. We did it orientation with our ambassadors, to get them up and running. Earning we have 40 ambassadors across the country who are going to be asked a representative that's going bass Udders to carry out information and that was fun to get them all oriented tomorrow. We're checking in with our bronze-level Mentor. So those are the younger. Our newer coaches of our Mentor program. Going to check in with them, with Jeffrey Kerr and get them updated. So varies from day to day, interacting with staff interacting with Partners within the community. So that's that's Best I can say, for a typical day.

My typical day varies greatly. It could involve interacting with staff, coaches, partners, and consultants. I could be out at swim meets, talking to coaches about their concerns, or doing a webinar for our ambassador program. I also check in with our bronze-level Mentors and plan our programs.

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My typical day is quite varied, and that's what makes my job great. Each day brings something different. For example, I might spend one day at a swim meet, interacting with coaches and addressing their concerns. On another day, I could be in the office, engaging with staff, attending Zoom calls with potential partners, consultants, or coaches who will be presenting at our clinics. I also work with coaches in our Mentor program and communicate with locations and other partners to plan and coordinate our programs. We have various initiatives, such as our legal program, Mentor program, and ambassador program, which require my attention. I participate in ask a live sessions and webinars, and recently conducted an orientation for our ambassadors. Tomorrow, I'll be checking in with our bronze-level Mentor coaches. Overall, my days involve interacting with staff, partners, and coaches, and each day brings new and exciting tasks.

ASCA Certification: The Gold Standard for Coaches Worldwide

Getting asked a certified as one of the most important things that coach can do for their career. I mean, aska certifications are really the gold standard for swimming coaching around the world is recognized around the world, it's not only a great designation to have on your resume but it's really an important thing to have to just distinguish you as a real true professional to whether it's to parents or two athletes or two people who are hiring you I said it's the gold standard and we've recently revamped the courses and the content and the process and made it, you know, even better than it was before. So it's really important to get asked a certified just so you have that not only the designation but the knowledge that goes with it,

Having an ASK certification is important for a coach's career as it is the gold standard and is recognized around the world. It is beneficial to have on your resume and also provides you with the knowledge needed to be a true professional.

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Getting ASCA certified is one of the most important steps a coach can take for their career. ASCA certifications are recognized worldwide and are considered the gold standard for swimming coaching. Having this certification not only adds value to your resume but also distinguishes you as a true professional in the eyes of parents, athletes, and potential employers. The courses and content have recently been revamped to enhance the learning experience. By becoming ASCA certified, you not only gain the designation but also the knowledge that comes with it.

Members Own ASCA: Get Involved and Shape the Future

Who owns aska? I get this question occasionally and it kind of surprises me because it's the members that own aska. We are a nonprofit organization owned by the members, the members elect a board of directors. There's elections every year, the board of directors are working coaches who are members who run for the position of director and the board of directors is in charge of oversight, and Leadership of the organization, they hire a CEO. That's the Position, I'm in and I run the day-to-day of the organization but in the end, it is the members who own the organization. And so that's why I'm really passionate about getting members more involved in the organization, in our programs, in the deciding the direction that we take its your organization. So hopefully all the coaches out there will step up get involved and help us take the organization into the future.

Aska is owned by its members, who elect a board of directors to provide oversight and leadership. The board of directors hires a CEO who runs the day-to-day operations of the organization.

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Occasionally, I am asked who owns ASCA, and it surprises me because it is actually the members who own ASCA. We are a nonprofit organization, and the members elect a board of directors through annual elections. The board of directors, who are working coaches and members themselves, oversee and lead the organization. They also hire a CEO, which is the position I hold, to manage the day-to-day operations.

Ultimately, it is the members who have ownership of the organization. This is why I am passionate about getting members more involved in our programs and decision-making processes. ASCA belongs to you, the coaches. I encourage all coaches to step up, get involved, and help shape the future of the organization.

We hear it called the new ASCA, so what’s different? 

New ASCA: Female CEO & Member-Driven Approach Unveiled

So the question is, what's new about the new ASCO, what's different? Well, it's the first time in the history of aska that there has been a female CEO. So that's certainly different. But also, there's been a philosophical switch. We are really more member-driven than ever before. We're all about getting members engaged in every aspect of the organization, coaches, learn best from other coaches. So we want to create avenues for that to happen. We're all about bringing Just together. So that we as an organization can do two more to support coaches to engage coaches to advocate for coaches. And the more we're together the better, we will be at that, we've added a tremendous amount of value to ask a membership in the last year and a half. We have hired, a safe sport attorney on retainer that's available to any ask a member who has any questions or concerns for relative to a safe sport issue? We've expanded our talks Library, a lot of things that were for sale before are now art of you're eska membership. In the talks Library, it's a great resource for any coach, we've started doing webinars live. Go mask, Alive's, live interactive webinars with prominent coaches, any coach member can jump on those webinars and have it conversation. Ask any questions they want of the coaches. We've actually ramp that up to twice a month now. So we're really proud of that program. That engages members just a whole lot of programs. Like whether it's the mentor program, Or new Awards programs or the 30 under 30, Grant, where we are really reaching out to younger members. Like we are really trying to reach out to the entire coach Community. Make sure everybody feels welcome because if we all work together we can accomplish a lot more. So that's really. What's new about the new aska

The new ASCO is focused on engaging members and creating avenues for coaches to learn from one another. They have added a lot of value to the membership, such as hiring a safe sport attorney on retainer, expanding the talks library, webinars with prominent coaches, a mentor program, awards programs and a 30 under 30 grant. All of these initiatives are designed to make sure everyone feels welcome and that together we can accomplish more.

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The new ASCA, or American Swimming Coaches Association, has some notable differences. Firstly, it marks the first time in history that a female CEO is leading the organization. This is a significant change. Additionally, there has been a shift in philosophy towards being more member-driven. The focus is on engaging members in all aspects of the organization, recognizing that coaches learn best from other coaches. The goal is to create avenues for coaches to come together, support each other, and advocate for their profession.

The new ASCA has added value to its membership by hiring a safe sport attorney on retainer to address any questions or concerns related to safe sport issues. They have also expanded their Talks Library, making previously paid resources available to all ASCA members. Live webinars with prominent coaches have been introduced, providing an interactive platform for members to engage and ask questions. The frequency of these webinars has increased to twice a month.

The organization has implemented various programs, such as mentorship, new awards programs, and the 30 under 30 grant, to reach out to different segments of the coach community. The aim is to ensure that all members feel welcome and included, recognizing that working together can lead to greater accomplishments.

These changes reflect the new direction and initiatives of the ASCA, making it an exciting time for the organization and its members.

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Jennifer LaMont is the first female CEO of the American Swim Coaches Association. A former All-American swimmer, she holds 30 years of experience leading member-driven advocacy organizations. LaMont was a Cincinnati Marlins and USC swimmer, and won three Ohio state titles and set records for Walnut Hills High School. In 2018, she was inducted into the Cincinnati Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame. Her prior roles include Chief of Staff for Broward Teachers Union, United Teachers of Dade, and SEIU. She also held communications, organizational development and public relations roles for United Teachers of Dade.