Thompson took over as the new leader of Germantown Aquatics in June<\/a> after a long stay with the Terre Haute Torpedoes in Indiana since 1997.<\/p>\nSwimming World’s<\/em> multiple attempts to contact Thompson and head master Jim Connor for comment have not been returned over the holidays.<\/p>\nBut, we do have Thompson and Connor on the record with a few letters sent out to the team in the past month.<\/p>\n
In a letter dated Dec. 16, less than a week after the Bolands resigned, Connor wrote to the team\u00a0thanking the Bolands for their years of service, and voicing full support for Thompson.<\/p>\n
Dear Parents of Swim Team and Aquatic Club Members:<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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 \u201cconnect the pool to the school.\u201d 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. \u201cGrowing stronger\u201d during the Thompson era will entail:<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Maintaining a high level of inter-scholastic competitiveness by attracting and nurturing talented swimmers;<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Ensuring that every boy and girl in the program, swim team or Aquatic Club, is valued for who he or she is athletically;<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Developing programs that strengthen skills, build confidence and hone talent;<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Assuring that GA Aquatics will be a dynamic, vibrant, joyful but rigorous endeavor;<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Instilling high behavioral expectations and an environment in which every voice is heard;<\/p>\n
\u00b7 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In a letter dated Dec. 19, Thompson reminded his team that change is a constant in life.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
If\/when Germantown responds to our attempts to contact them, we will update our readers.<\/p>\n