From the Desk of the Executive Director

See possibilities on the horizon.”

As you look ahead, I hope you see possibilities on the horizon. While your preparations for spring this year might be looking a little different than years past, don’t lose sight of what could be. There are a number of different predictions on when those that want the vaccine will be able to get it, but we are now on that path. Will you be ready when families get back to the activities they love, such as learning to swim? What steps can you be taking now to be ready to spring back into the full swing of swim?

Are there ways you can be educating yourself and your staff on diversity and inclusion to further reach members of your community? Be sure to check out the article “Diversity and Equity” by Shannon Schafer for information on how you can take action in your swim school and your community.

Are you working on relationships with local journalists so when you have a story to share you have laid the groundwork to have a better chance of being heard? The article by Jaison Manns from SwimJim shares some excellent tips to start working on now so you can leverage media to market your swim school to your local area.

Have you updated your free USSSA CareerPlug account (or upgraded for the discounted rate) so you are ready to list jobs when you have them available, or are you actively recruiting now to ensure you have the best staff in place? What benefits will you be offering to entice workers that have gotten used to the idea of working from home to come out to the pool and teach in the water?

Training, is your staff trained and ready? USSSA has a library of resources to help you get your staff trained and ready. And your students, as they come back to the water, is your staff ready to handle regression both in swim and social skills?

There are possibilities if you look for them. What can you do now to be ready then? We are here to help support you along the way. Together we truly can do more. We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming virtual sharing solutions or webinar.

LISA M. ZARDA, CAE, CNAP

Executive Director US Swim School Association