The Marlin Philosophy
One newspaper reporter writing about the Cincinnati Marlins said, “what other non-professional sport organization or institution in Cincinnati has generated more national and international acclaim?” The Marlins are understandably proud of the many accomplishments of our athletes, but these accolades and awards are not the primary focus of our program. We believe that competitive swimming teaches a young person many valuable lessons that will benefit them throughout the rest of their lives. Our goal is to help every swimmer reach their maximum swimming potential and to achieve more than even they thought was possible. For some swimmers, that means a chance to pursue the Olympic dream. For others, an opportunity to compete in college. And for others, it might mean being a contributor on their high school team. We have a place for all of these swimmers. Along the way, our athletes learn the benefits of supporting one another, how to manage their time, perseverance, sportsmanship and that hard work will lead to success.
While we are known for the many elite athletes we have developed, our team has a place for swimmers of all abilities. The Marlins do not “cut” swimmers for several reasons:
We believe that the Marlins program can benefit every swimmer, regardless of their ability.
Some teams send swimmers away until they get “better.” We’d rather help them get “better” ourselves.
We have ample pool time – there’s plenty of room!
The fact is, nobody can predict a young swimmer’s future potential. Our expertise is in teaching all of our swimmers how to swim fast.
Our program has a long-term plan for every swimmer. Our focus is on the swimmer’s long-term development. This means we emphasize proper stroke technique at every stage of a swimmer’s career. Our training is appropriate for each swimmer’s age and physical development. The sport of swimming is littered with stories of the young phenomenon who is never heard from after the age of 14. Our focus is on developing swimmers who will be competitive at the senior level. We will not sacrifice a younger swimmer’s long-term development in order to help them win a high-point award or a Junior Olympic Championship. The majority of our seniors go on to swim at the collegiate level and our senior classes earn, on average, over $100,000 in scholarships every year.
Our team is independent. We are not a part of a municipality, school or university. Our sole focus is on operating the very best competitive swimming program possible.
We strive to create a positive and encouraging environment for every swimmer. Our swimmers have high expectations of themselves and their team. They form strong friendships and loyalty to one another. They learn to value hard work and dedication as the path to success in swimming. Most importantly, as individuals and as a team we believe that competitive swimming is fun!