courtesy of Mecklenburg Swim Association
More than 15,000 participants gathered in Greensboro, North Carolina for the 58th AAU Junior Olympic Games, the largest multi-sport event for youth in the United States, at the end of July. Over 1,000 of these athletes were swimmers representing teams from all over the country, including some as far as Guam!
“Over 1,000 swimmers representing teams all across the country…”
One of the participating teams was the Mecklenburg Swim Association from Charlotte, NC. MSA, in its 11th year of existence, has rapidly grown to become the largest team in the Carolinas. MSA, which began as a USA Swim club and remains a member of USA Swimming, recently obtained a dual membership as an AAU swim club also.
MSA owner Peter Peters says there were several reasons for this decision.
“We considered AAU versus USA Swimming from various perspectives; business, insurance, and customer service. We found a compelling case that MSA should also become an AAU club member. This decision has helped us save over $25,000 this year alone and offer a superior insurance product to our swimmers at a lower rate. I have found the AAU customer service to be fast-acting and very supportive.”
MSA was planning to join AAU anyway, but upon learning that the AAU Junior Olympic Games would be held in Greensboro this summer, decided to support the event and attend fully. The experience and feedback from its members have been phenomenal. This meet is open for BB swimmers and up. Coach Peter Perers said “In my opinion, this group of swimmers is underserved by USA Swimming. We took 165 swimmers to the swim meet, and they had the opportunity to participate in a high-level meet run like a USA Championship meet. “
Some of the small details greatly impacted these swimmers’ experiences. This included a finals that included many swimmers, credentials received by each swimmer (which was a big deal to them), high-quality LARGE medals given for first through eighth place, and an awards ceremony that recognized each swimmer individually.
“I couldn’t help but wonder why similar events like this aren’t being carried out across the country in multiple locations by USA Swimming. It seems like so much focus is placed on the top 1%; it would be nice to see a similar effort on the majority of the USA Swimming membership.”
“The President of AAU came on deck and personally walked around, thanking each team…”
“ I was also deeply impressed by the AAU meet officials. Every administrative correction that was needed placed the athlete first. This hasn’t always been the case in other high-level competitions I have attended. The President of AAU even came on deck one day and personally walked around, thanking each team for their attendance and effort. What a great touch that was!”
“MSA is in year one of their AAU membership…”
If other coaches have an interest in learning more about MSA’s experience in year 1 of their AAU membership, Coach Perers welcomes any communication for questions or feedback. His email address is [email protected]
courtesy of Mecklenburg Swim Association
AAU Aquatics is a program of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) that includes swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, and water polo. AAU Aquatics offers programs for all ages and abilities, with a focus on personal improvement rather than outperforming others. The AAU’s supportive approach emphasizes healthy competition, fun, and energy.
