{"id":641215,"date":"2026-04-08T15:34:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T22:34:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=641215"},"modified":"2026-04-08T15:34:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T22:34:56","slug":"applications-being-accepted-for-asca-timothy-welsh-fellows-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/applications-being-accepted-for-asca-timothy-welsh-fellows-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Applications Being Accepted for ASCA Timothy Welsh Fellows Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

Applications Being Accepted for ASCA Timothy Welsh Fellows Program<\/strong><\/p>\n

Applications are now being accepted for the ASCA Timothy Welsh Fellows Program (click here<\/a> to apply). In its 24th year, this Fellowship is a unique, board-run program which offers an exciting career development opportunity, aiming to identify and foster future swimming coach leaders. Annually, the ASCA Board of Directors identifies select coaches to spend a year of research, education, and career exposure dedicated to a project intended to support the growth and sustainability of our profession.<\/p>\n

Matriculated Fellows will join an illustrious group of coach leaders more than 200 strong, who have all impacted the sport of swimming nationwide! For the 2026 Class, ASCA is seeking experienced coaches and program leaders\u202finterested in\u202fapplied research and problem-solving, and individuals with real-world operational experience.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s\u00a0topic\u00a0will focus on one of the most pressing challenges in our sport:\u00a0Facility access. We know that saving pools saves\u202flives!\u202fHow can saving pools also save our programs, our coaches, and our athletes? \u202fHow can swim programs achieve competitive success despite limited, aging, or inaccessible facilities?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Across the country, coaches are\u202fnavigating an increasingly difficult operating\u202fenvironment, facing\u202faging pools,\u202freduced pool access, rising costs, and infrastructure constraints. Pool space is shrinking due to facility closures, school and municipal budget constraints, and competing community demands. Many existing pools are aging rapidly, requiring costly maintenance or facing permanent shutdown. Even\u202fwith available water,\u202faccess is often fragmented, shared across multiple user groups, restricted to off-peak hours, or priced beyond what programs can sustainably afford.\u202fDespite alarming pool shutdowns, some\u202fprograms continue to thrive.<\/p>\n

These constraints create significant downstream challenges: inconsistent training schedules that disrupt athlete development; overcrowded lanes that hinder technical progress and increase injury risk; limited team growth due to capped roster sizes; and difficult tradeoffs between revenue generation and high-performance outcomes. At the same time, coaches are facing a growing administrative burden, taking on responsibilities such as facility management, negotiations, and logistics.<\/p>\n

Compounding these issues, water safety and swim education programs are declining in many communities\u2014shrinking the long-term pipeline of athletes and placing even greater strain on the facilities that remain.<\/p>\n

And yet\u2014despite these constraints\u2014some programs continue to produce exceptional results\u202ftowards drowning prevention. This\u202fFellowship will uncover\u202ffacility trends in the USA\u202fby highlighting\u202fthe main challenges we all face and identify\u202fstrategies that make survival\u202fpossible in this new world of older pools.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Selected fellows will collaborate on a nationally relevant project that includes\u00a0a\u00a0case study on the situation facing American pool facilities today.\u00a0 It will be a\u00a0deep dive into competitively successful programs operating under facility constraints, and provide a possible\u00a0curated resource connecting coaches to facility experts and solutions for practical strategies to maximize limited space.<\/p>\n

Key dates:<\/strong><\/p>\n