A USA Swimming Gold Medal Club

The Mason Manta Rays is a 2018 USA Swimming Gold Medal Club located in Mason, Ohio just north of Cincinnati. The USA Swimming Excellence in Club Swimming Program is a voluntary program that identifies and recognizes USA Swimming clubs for their commitment to excellence in operation, performance, and for their support of the sport and USA Swimming. This program strives to meet the following objectives:

• Promote the development of comprehensive age group and senior swimming programs;
• Provide ways that USA Swimming can better assist, encourage, and motivate our member clubs to strive for the highest ideals of development and performance; 
• Encourage USA Swimming’s most successful clubs and professional coaches to become leaders in the sport through involvement in local and/or national governance.

This program’s goal is to embrace leadership and excellence in up to 200 of USA Swimming’s top member clubs. The program provides funding and support to the clubs and recognizes the club development system as integral to achieving excellence. 

Vision

    Develop and maintain a team of 300-350 active competitive swimmers.

    Maximize the development of our individual swimmers and the entire team in an enthusiastic and challenging environment.

    Develop and maintain competitive strength at local, regional and national levels, as well as significant representation at international levels.

    Develop a high level of family and community involvement and pride in the team.

    Create a positive environment where excellence is inevitable.  

Objectives

    Develop the maximum potential in our swimmers through practice and competitive achievement at a pace appropriate to each individual.

    Provide a well-educated, professional, and caring coaching/teaching staff committed to maximizing development of the individual swimmer and the team.

    Consistently utilize high-quality facilities, equipment and techniques throughout our program.

    Attain competitive achievements, both individually and as a team, at the highest regional, national and international levels through skilled coaching and high expectations.

    Instill a commitment to effort, perseverance, courage, accountability and responsibility in all our swimmers.

    Cultivate sportsmanship, team spirit and citizenship throughout our membership.

    Promote individual, family and community involvement in team activities and the sport of swimming.  

General Principles  

Mason Manta Rays are committed to providing an enjoyable and complete swimming experience for all ages and abilities through maintaining a positive and challenging teaching and training environment in which swimmers develop individual discipline, self-esteem and pride in individual and team achievements. In addition to athletic achievements, we encourage a fully rounded family, academic and social life.

Our program provides progressive development through a series of age group and ability/commitment levels. At each level we strive to encourage, recognize and positively reinforce each swimmer’s pursuit and attainment of defined goals. At each successive level more complex stroke technique drills and advanced theory are introduced, and more practice time and endurance/dry-land work are required. Our coaching staff encourages and firmly believes that engaging in competitive opportunities provides every individual good lessons for life by teaching how to control anxiety, stress, and to deal positively with both success and failure.

In addition to swimmer involvement in the team, the Manta Rays encourages and expects involvement of the family in the supporting club. We expect our families to participate in ownership of the team by volunteering their time, energy and talents in team and club activities and to help build team spirit. We also encourage our members, and expect our coaches, to take interest and become involved in activities of our larger community, as well as in local and national swimming organizations.  

Philosophy

The team philosophy is encompassed in the words COURAGE and PERSEVERANCE.

COURAGE is the willingness to accept risk(s) and endure failings.  Courage does not exist unless there is a situation that presents the opportunity for success.  We encouage our athletes to embrace these opportunities and not fear the outcome.

PERSEVERANCE is the backbone of success in any endeavor in life.  One cannot succeed at the highest levels without enduring some setbacks.  These difficult times can create a lack of faith, low self esteem and an obviouse drop in enthusiasm.  Perseverance is the quality that transcends these difficult times.  It allows the individual to find the true strength of their character.

The Mason Manta Rays believe that the COURAGE and PERSEVERANCE developed by swimming will prepare the individual for the challenges they will face in life.