Courtesy: NOMAD Aquatics
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – NOMAD Aquatics is thrilled to announce the addition of Ben Lee as Director of Age Group Performance, effective immediately for the 2018-2019 season.
Says Lee, “I am very excited to take the helm of NOMAD’s age group program and build on a great foundation to take the team to the next level. The vision Mark (Minier) has for the program and facility is going to be game changing for the Charlotte region and I’m looking forward to sharing my love of swimming with all the kids and families training there.”
Lee comes from Team Elite Aquatics and formerly SwimMAC Carolina, where he works alongside 2016 Head U.S. Women’s Olympic Coach, David Marsh. Most recently, he served as Co-Head Coach for the North Carolina Swimming (NCS) Select Camp and the Head 15-18 Women’s Coach for the NCS Southern Zones Championship Team. At Team Elite, he designed a new logo, led a rebranding effort, and worked with 12 of the top swimmers and coaches sent by the China Swimming Association for training camps in preparation for their national selection meet and the upcoming 2018 Asian Games, including former world junior recorder holder and current world #2 in the Women’s 200m Butterfly, Yufei Zhang.
Says Marsh, “Ben has worked with me in various capacities over the last four years and established himself as a highly knowledgeable coach with high communication skills. His strengths are his creativity and ability to connect with athletes of all ages. He is one of the most relatable people that I’ve ever had as a coach on my staffs and is always willing to go the extra mile to help athletes achieve their goals. As a coach and the director of programming at Team Elite, he has proven to be a tremendous asset to me, both on deck with his technical knowledge and off deck, where he plays a pivotal role in structuring and scaling our series of age-group and coaching clinics and camps nationwide.”
The addition is a logical progression for NOMAD. The rising 300+ member North Charlotte program with the philosophy of “teach first, train second” has been partnering with Lee and Team Elite over the last year, hosting technique clinics with 5x Olympian Kirsty Coventry and 2017 World University Games Gold Medalist, Hellen Moffitt. Coach Lee will be looking to increase those types of opportunities for the swimmers, mentor other coaches, and grow the program to enhance swimming in the greater Charlotte area. Says Lee, “I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with world class swimmers, coaches, and mentors. It’s important to me to give back and invest in the next generation in the Charlotte region, helping people to grow both personally and professionally. I know it probably sounds super nerdy, but I really derive deep satisfaction from dissecting strokes, learning about the psychology behind high performance athletes, and developing strength and conditioning exercises and processes to increase overall athleticism and net high performance swimming at any age. I’m stoked to have the opportunity to share that knowledge and passion with others.
Says NOMAD Head Coach, Mark Minier, “As a club, one of our focuses is to develop high degrees of technical proficiency in young athletes to serve as the foundation for their successful training as they grow and mature into young adults. Whenever you have an opportunity to add a coach with Ben’s experience and give athletes the inspiration and tools to achieve their big dreams, you look at it seriously. In Ben, we are getting a proven coach. I feel he will bring with him a combination of collaboration, technical knowledge, and enthusiasm. We have an outstanding coaching staff in place at NOMAD and Ben will certainly fit in well.”
Lee will officially start with NOMAD at the end of August but is already meeting with the coaches and staff in preparation for the upcoming season; he will maintain his current roles with Team Elite and China.
“I’m excited for what this hire means for the NOMAD program. As the father of two young swimmers, Ben is immersed in swimming culture. He has an excellent perspective and understanding that swimming is first and foremost about making people better as human beings,” says Marsh. “Plus, I always learn something new when I’m around him. Just this spring, I discovered his fluency in Chinese. Not only did he negotiate and coordinate the entirety of the training camps and contract with the China Swimming Association, he also coached the athletes in Mandarin, liaised with the Chinese coaches and their US counterparts, and wrote and led the strength and conditioning program for the entirety of the camps. All this time that I’ve known him, and I had no idea he spoke another language,” Marsh laughs.