USA Swimming Announces Coach Selection Criteria For 2025 World Championship Team
Just over four months before USA Swimming picks the group of up to 52 swimmers who will represent the Stars and Stripes at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, the organization has unveiled the criteria for coaches hoping to be selected onto the official coaching staff. As with usual procedures, the women’s and men’s head coaches will be announced prior to U.S. Nationals while the assistant coaches will be revealed at the conclusion of the meet, but the organization is prioritizing openness in the coach selection process.
A release from USA Swimming stated, “Although the framework utilizes the same mix of objective and subjective criteria used historically for coach selections, the organization believes that a published document creates a more transparent coach selection process.” The organization is unveiling a written application for coaches hoping to be selected onto the Worlds staff and mandating that any potential staff member submit the document by March 1.
A selection committee will be responsible for choosing the two head coaches and six assistant coaches that will comprise the staff. The selection committee will include “two 10-Year Athlete members of either the USA Swimming Athletes’ Advisory Council (‘AAC’) or the Board of Directors, as appointed by the AAC” as well as USA Swimming’s CEO, Managing Director of the National Team and National Team Steering Committee Chair. Notably, the CEO and Managing Director position remain vacant, with USA Swimming still selecting full-time replacements for Tim Hinchey and Lindsay Mintenko, respectively.
The document outlining the selection criteria states that coaches will be considered based on the number of athletes qualified for the 2025 Worlds team as well as other major international competitions and the coaches’ experience and backgrounds. Other criteria include:
- Their “technical and tactical knowledge of swimming” and international rules
- Coach and athlete feedback from previous trips
- The coaches’ ability to work with a variety of athletes and colleagues
- Their professionalism and composure in high-pressure situations
- Their track record of building positive team culture
Notably, the document states that USA Swimming will prioritize “the need to diversify the coaching staff with coaches of different backgrounds, experiences and tenures, as well as ensuring that the coaching staff has representation from a variety of different schools, clubs, and geographic regions.”
The U.S. team is coming off a 2024 Olympic Games in which it won 28 medals, the lowest total in two decades, and the organization faced criticism for its coach selections, including the omission of Indiana coach Ray Looze from the staff. The national governing body previously released the athlete selection criteria for the upcoming Worlds team.
