Germantown Academy Aquatic Club Accepts Coaching Resignations

FORT WASHINGTON – For the second year in a row, Germantown Academy has sustained a major coaching change as three high-profile coaches have now left the coaching staff.

Earlier this month, Caroline and Colleen Boland both submitted their resignations as assistant coaches with Germantown Academy. Meanwhile, head age group coach Chris Lear disappeared from the coaching deck on Nov. 3 with no explanation to the team or the team parents.

This comes on the heels of legendary head coach Richard Shoulberg being moved out of his head coaching position and into a coach emeritus position at Germantown last year.

Not counting Shoulberg’s impressive career, that’s nearly half-a-century of service no longer at Germantown’s disposal.

Lear, who took an acting head coach position for Germantown during the Shoulberg transition, had been the head age group and assistant coach for 20 years. He was responsible for the development of plenty of National Teamers and National Junior Teamers, including the incredible Crippen family of Maddie, Fran and Teresa. He also helped produce Alicia Aemisegger and Arthur Frayler.

Caroline Boland, meanwhile, had served at Germantown Academy for 18 years and has been called the backbone of Shoulberg’s coaching staff. Her daughter, Colleen, had spent five years at Germantown before resigning with her mother earlier this month.

The consensus among multiple sources near the situation, who wish to remain anonymous, is that Germantown Academy administration continues to move to a more prep school-centered environment instead of the previous club team-centered one that Shoulberg used to produce multiple Olympians. Additionally, claims have been made that head coach Jeff Thompson has moved in a direction to put his own stamp on the program with those loyal to the past being seen as obstacles to progress.

Thompson took over as the new leader of Germantown Aquatics in June after a long stay with the Terre Haute Torpedoes in Indiana since 1997.

Swimming World’s multiple attempts to contact Thompson and head master Jim Connor for comment have not been returned over the holidays.

But, we do have Thompson and Connor on the record with a few letters sent out to the team in the past month.

In a letter dated Dec. 16, less than a week after the Bolands resigned, Connor wrote to the team thanking the Bolands for their years of service, and voicing full support for Thompson.

Dear Parents of Swim Team and Aquatic Club Members:

The recent resignation announcements by Caroline and Colleen Boland have unsettled the swim community. I deeply regret the occurrence of both of these events. Caroline, a former Germantown Academy parent, and Colleen, an alumna, are excellent coaches. I want to take this opportunity to thank them for their service to the Aquatic Club, to GA, and most importantly, to the hundreds of girls and boys who improved as swimmers under their tutelage. I join with everyone in the swim community in wishing them well.

Along with this expression of gratitude and regret also comes a message of confidence about the future of GA Aquatics. True, we have endured a year of uncertainty as to how the program will move forward. With the hiring of Jeff Thompson that uncertainty is now ending, as Jeff has been charged by this administration- Jim Fenerty, Director of Athletics, Rich Schellhas, Head of the Upper School and Head Elect, and me- to “connect the pool to the school.” The values and activities of GA Aquatics will mirror those of the school with the Mission Statement providing direction. As a result, GA Aquatics, while honoring and building upon the great successes of Coach Shoulberg and his team of coaches, will grow only stronger under the leadership of Jeff and his assistants. “Growing stronger” during the Thompson era will entail:

· Maintaining a high level of inter-scholastic competitiveness by attracting and nurturing talented swimmers;

· Ensuring that every boy and girl in the program, swim team or Aquatic Club, is valued for who he or she is athletically;

· Developing programs that strengthen skills, build confidence and hone talent;

· Assuring that GA Aquatics will be a dynamic, vibrant, joyful but rigorous endeavor;

· Instilling high behavioral expectations and an environment in which every voice is heard;

· Building a team environment that appreciates diverse talents and interests and inculcates a spirit in which the whole is seen to be greater than the sum of its parts.

This is the promise Coach Thompson, the GA Administration, and I make to you and your children. What we ask in return is for your flexibility, patience, and understanding as we move through this time of transition. On our end, Human Resources Director Rachel Elwood will be meeting individually with each coach on the swim team and Aquatic Club staffs to discuss this vision, hear from each how he or she is experiencing the transition, and how we might strengthen the program moving forward. Early in the New Year, after these conversations are held, Coach Thompson, Coach Fenerty, and I will meet with the coaching staffs to review the trends we have found in these discussions and hear their thoughts and concerns. Concurrently, Coach Fenerty will design and conduct a review process for the swim team and more advanced Aquatic Club members for the purpose of understanding how they, too, are experiencing the transition, while hearing their opinions as to how they can do their part to help meet the goals stated above.

I hope that this message provides clarity for you as to where the Aquatic Club is headed. We have an opportunity before us to move from strength to strength in our swim programs at GA. For sure, good coaches have stepped down or are retiring, but good coaches will replace them as well. The future of GA Swimming is as bright as it ever was, of that I am confident. I ask for your support of the program, Coach Thompson and his budding team of assistants, and, especially, of the children who swim in our pool. As adults we must come together to ensure that their swimming experience is as exceptional as any educational program we offer at GA.

In a letter dated Dec. 19, Thompson reminded his team that change is a constant in life.

“I hope that this note finds you excited about the upcoming holidays, and I hope that you all get to spend quality time with your families and friends. My family and I will be heading back to Indiana to spend the holidays with our families and then I will be meeting some of our senior swimmers in Orlando on December 27th for our Winter Training Trip. I am incredibly excited about the upcoming weeks.

GA and GAAC swimming have gone through some significant changes in the past 12 months, and in particular in the last 4 months. Change is constant. Change is inevitable. Change is hard. These are the truths about change. I want to ensure each and every one of you that I will walk next to you through this change. It is going to be challenging at times but we will move through this period of transition together, as a team. It takes team work to make dream work. Germantown Academy has a rich tradition of making dreams become reality. This tradition will not change.

I thank each and every one of you for your patience and faith during this time. In the coming weeks we will be conducting a search for our open positions and announcing those new staff members who will join us in the second half of our winter, short course season. I look forward to sharing that news with you.”

If/when Germantown responds to our attempts to contact them, we will update our readers.

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GA Parent

9 years ago

Change is inevitable when a new coach takes over a program. Jeff Thompson has done nothing but bring positive energy back into the GA program making every swimmer feel important. We are sorry that these coaches have moved on but change needed to happen for this program to move forward in a positive direction. The last year for this program was hard on everyone involved with GA and GAAC but if the truth emerged fully in the public eye people would understand why changes had to happen the way it did. Sometimes when coaches are in a program for a long time that is not always positive as issues were not addressed and resulted in less then optimal settings for some children to grow and flourish. The administration and Coach Thompson have done nothing more then protect/guide children while allowing them to achieve their goals in the pool no matter what level swimmer they are. The Boland’s resigned on their own and it was their own choice. There are two sides to every story and unfortunately we are only hearing one side. GA swim program will continue under the careful guidance of Coach Thompson and anyone that is involved with the program can already see the positive impact he has made on the pool deck with the swimmers.

GA swimmer

9 years ago

Reply to GA Parent

I highly doubt this comment came from a GAAC parent since nearly a half dozen families left as soon as the Boland’s resigned and from talk in the stands, there are more to follow.

GA Parent

9 years ago

Reply to GA swimmer

If people have chosen to leave the program its their choice. I do believe your numbers are incorrect as it appears two families have left and as far as talk from the stands if more choose to follow its their loss if they are not willing to stay. Since your claim is that many families are following what I see from the stands currently contradicts your claim. The negative behavior has been removed from the program no matter who it is coaches, parents or swimmers. The program is moving onward with new leadership and a positive outlook . This program may have produced many champions over the years but at what cost?

GA family

9 years ago

Good riddance

GA Alum

9 years ago

GA Parent-When IS the truth going to “emerge fully in the public eye?” Obviously, you are more than a GA parent; you are someone working with Thompson, Connor, Fennerty, etc. or you are one of them (or someone close to them) since you know what the “truth” is. Truth be told, after Thompson was presented to the parents, as every candidate was, he was given the worst reviews of anyone. We did not want him to be the head coach if GAAC, but he was chosen by the administration to CHANGE GAAC into what the administration wanted, which is not a rigorous, world renown swimming program. And, by the way, many more than two families have recently left.

GA family

9 years ago

How many hundreds of good families have been run out over the years by Caroline’s abuse?

The Truth

9 years ago

Reply to GA family

Why didn’t you report these “hundred” of abuses? Because you are dishonest and a LIAR. Clearly GA Parent and GA Family are the same person.

GA family

9 years ago

Reply to The Truth

Plenty was reported, countless meetings, Shoulberg even had a list of parents he was forbidden to contact(harass)

ex gaac family

9 years ago

Reply to GA family

to many to count that have been run out door by her and other coaches
sounds like ga finally got message and hired someone to clean up a mess
dont think spilling truth is helpful now it could be damaging to many people from word on the street
this program has been out of control and appears administration from letter above is taking control

Herman Gritz

9 years ago

Reply to ex gaac family

You appear to be drunk posting.

GA parent

9 years ago

GA Alum
It appears you seem to have the inside tract yourself since you state he was given the worst reviews. How are you aware that the reviews are negative? Did you personally read the reviews of every person that submitted one? What about the search committee – they gave their full support as well as Dick Shoulberg gave his blessing to Jeff Thomspson being hired. Are you questioning the legendary Dick Shoulbergs decision making process? When you state “we” did not want him to be head coach how about the children in the program that actually voted for Jeff. Did you personally see the swimmers reviews? I don’t think so . This is a case of sour grapes of certain familes/alumns that no longer can control the program. Germanatown Academy owns the pool and the program and fact remains they make all of the decisions . The program is headed in a new direction with a new head coach and if people dont like it then as GA Family states above “Good Riddance”.

The Truth

9 years ago

“GA Family” is clearly not a “GA Family.” We don’t act that way. GA Parent…shame on you. You know the truth.

Bill Bell

9 years ago

First that club in Portland gives its coach the old heave ho a few days before Christmas and now Germantown loses its coaches just afterwards.

And a Happy New Year to you too BODs.

GA family

9 years ago

Been a GA and GAAC family for years…have seen way too much, swimmers and parents came and went and new ones came and went, most were treated very badly, it needs to stop once and for all, if we can get rid of Elly and her gossiping lying cronies we may finally have a club that resembles the school, which had it’s impeccable reputation for many many years before swimming and if you came there just to swim you really have no credibility anyway

Doug Boehme

9 years ago

Reply to GA family

Elly has been an impartial administrator of the program for as long as we’ve been at the club. I’m sorry for you that you’re so spineless that you have to post anonymously.

All the departing coaches will be missed and I wish them success going forward.

I also look forward to the GA program continuing to be successful.

Herman Gritz

9 years ago

Put your name on the post coward.

GA family

9 years ago

Everyone feels the same way, ever attend a summer JOs with those two?

Outsider

9 years ago

It looks to me that GA is heading in the direction of “everyone gets a ribbon.” (Jeff Thompson has done nothing but bring positive energy back into the GA program making every swimmer feel important.) – GA Parent

Reading the comments, it sounds like the people who could not make the cut at an elite program also could not handle the failure, so they eliminated the people that made the program challenging. Great lesson you are teaching the children, if you do not succeed then I will create an easier environment where you will think you are. The successful in life do not talk about the easy path that was made for them as they went to the top, it is about the challenges they had to overcome. To put it in swimmers terms, swimmers do not talk about how they conquered warm up in practice, they talk about the epic sets that seemed impossible that they fought through. How can you create true leaders of tomorrow, if you do not allow them to lead today? Time will tell how the swimmers pan out, but I would not bet on GA being a dominate force in the future.

remmi robinson

9 years ago

New coach at Germantown Academy suggests that doggy paddle should become a new Olympic stroke.

I miss Bone Head.

dave

9 years ago

So penn charter finally has a chance now?
OPC 1990

Leander

9 years ago

Reply to dave

A chance against Germantown? Good luck with that: your boys and girls teams both lost to the much improved teams at The Hill on December 18.

The ultimate warrior

9 years ago

Welcome to mediocrity. 2:02 in the boys IM will soon be sooooo fast.

Billy King

9 years ago

All I can say is “WOW!”. I have no connection to GA whatsoever, but the gossip and veiled mudslinging here is awesome. Details, I want details!

GA family

9 years ago

Reply to Billy King

Details…. ask dick shoulberg what went wrong ! why is he silent
a new coach is here for a reason

The ultimate warrior

9 years ago

Because Dick has a little bit of class.

Anonymous

9 years ago

Too much discord. Your team’s internal struggle is taking you down whether the new head coach is credible or not. In stressful situations teams do 1 of 2 things, they either pull together or rip apart. From these comments it appears you are ripping apart.

What happened is a bump in the road or a catastrophie depending on how your team deals with it. Teams can fall much faster than they can be built. Team survival and it’s ability to flourish will depend on getting back on your feet and finding solutions for the future. The past is over, this is now a new team. It has a different dynamic.

Advice:
Invite swimmers/families who can contribute to the new team, remove those who cause internal strife. Build your new team and pull together. Germantown Academy has an incredible past… If you are part of the team, stop fighting against each other so that you can give it an incredible future.

Anonymous

9 years ago

There are four major parts to your team:
1. Coaching Staff
2. Swimmers
3. Administration
4. Parent Group

Your head coach is the synergist of the team, pulling it together and leading it in it’s direction. The parents group will normally never win, just support or apply unneeded pressure. The swimmers will reflect parent sentiment to a certain degree, and influence the sentiment with their experience. As the parents group attempts to exert influence it can pressure the coaching staff and administration into poor decisions if it they are not strong enough. Although situational, parental group pressure almost never results in positive results for the team as they have little direct control on the on-the-deck mechanics of the team or training in this area. They need too be a supportive force to have a positive impact.

Mark Pouchet

9 years ago

I am an outsider from very far away but I personally know Mr Shoulberg and he is a great man and a great coach who should be respected as such. He is renowned worldwide and loved because of his passion, knowledge and integrity for high level swimming. It is unfortunate that some have chosen to attempt to tarnish his well-earned respect, kudos and name. One thing I am sure of….. Coach shoulberg will be coaching even some ex GAAC members long after he finally leaves