NCAP’s Sue Chen, Empowering Female Coaches On A Male-Dominated Deck

Sue Chen pictured with her brother. Photo Courtesy: Sue Chen

By Makenzie Miller, Swimming World College Intern

Sue Chen thinks it’s about time to make a change in the swimming world.

Chen and several of her colleagues have started a Women’s Leadership Program under USA Swimming to bridge the gap between genders in the world of swimming. The goal of the program is to get encourage women and provide them with skills to advance in our sport.

“I want to mentor younger coaches who are trying to figure out how to do it all- raise a family, go to school, or have a marriage,” Chen said.

If anyone could do it, Chen can.

A New Chapter At NCAP

Chen has had an impressive career. After twenty years with Rockville Montgomery Swim Club, she left to open a new site at the University of Maryland for Machine Aquatics. That was two years ago.

Chen did not expect to have such a short run at Machine Aquatics, but she needed to do what was best for her and her career.

“It just didn’t work out the way I thought it would,” Chen said. “I needed a change for my career and I wanted to be closer to home.”

As of April 2015, Chen decided to take a job with Nation’s Capital Swim Club where she is not only be the head coach for their Silver I group, but also coaches Gold I and Gold II with Bruce Gemmell. That means she will be working at the Georgetown Preparatory School’s aquatic center, coaching Olympian Katie Ledecky and Matthew Hirschberger (national age group record holder in the 500 free).

Chen is very excited to start a new chapter in her life and explains that coaching alongside Bruce is going swimmingly.

“He is very open to working with me and blending our ideas together to make sure we give every swimmer what they need,” she said.

Conger’s Take

Photo Courtesy: Griffin Scott

Chen coached American record holder Jack Conger, who now swims at Texas, for four and a half years while still at the Rockville Montgomery Swim Club. She has coached many other successful athletes, a significant number who went on to swim at Division I colleges. Eleven of her swimmers have competed at the United States Olympic Trials.

Conger was very excited when Chen approached him about the switch to Nations Capital.

“Anywhere she goes she will be successful, because Chen’s training methods and work ethic make her a perfectionist,” Conger said. When Conger swam under Chen, he placed sixth in the world in the 200 back in 2013.

Chen was also a coach for the 2011 World Youth Games in Lima, Peru, the head coach for the National Select Camp in 2013, and recently the assistant coach for the National Junior Team Camp.

Perfection in the Process

Chen sets high goals for her swimmers to help them become the best they can be. She lives by her process.

“From day one, Sue told me I had talent,” Jack recalls. “But if I want to achieve my goals, I had to earn them by doing the work.”

And that’s what Chen’s process is all about.

With the leadership program, Chen plans to use her process to help female coaches achieve a new level of success. The group will share thoughts, ideas, workouts, and learn from each other how to be better coaches.

Chen is determined.

“I want to make the swim world a better place than when we found it.”

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