The Fitter and Faster Swim Tour Presented by SwimOutlet.com (FFT) celebrates the culmination of another successful year. Over 2013, they visited 100-plus cities, bringing the essentials of faster, smarter swimming taught by the best swimmers in the world! As they head into their fifth year of producing clinics for swimmers of all ages and abilities, they’re finding that participants have attended as many as four and five of clinics. Because of this, each event is specifically designed for each audience. Every clinic is planned for maximum impact while providing an enjoyable experience.
Over the past year, more than thirty of the world’s top-ranked swimmers were featured clinicians on the Fitter and Faster Tour. Each time aspiring champions attend clinics they meet new elite-level clinicians who have developed unique curricula – providing new teachings that can be applied to training and racing. Many clinics are hyper-targeted towards swimmers of specific ability levels. FFT has clinics for youth and adults, and they even offer clinics that concentrate on specific disciplines..
The Fitter and Faster Swim Tour does not believe that meeting and learning from an Olympian should be a “once in a lifetime opportunity”. Yes, it is special, but the Fitter and Faster Tour makes Olympic swimmers accessible to participants 52 weeks a year! In addition, at each clinic one registrant and up to two friends are randomly selected to win a free private clinic with one of the clinicians from the event!
Many clinics that had high turnouts this year were pleasantly surprised when we showed up with an additional Champion Clinician! Pittsburgh, PA., Lincolnshire, IL., Sioux Falls, SD and several others were among those cities that were astounded that a company would go to such measures to ensure an exceptional experience for their customers.
One of their favorite new features, at some clinics, is to bring a parent of the Olympian giving the clinic. Parents of young swimmers find the stories and advice given by these veteran parents invaluable. Robin Vanderkaay, mother to three-time Olympian Peter, is one of the parents who has attended clinics with their ‘swim star’ child. The Fitter and Faster Tour and Mrs. Vanderkaay left a lasting impression on Laura Hartman, a representative of Allegheny Mountain Swim Committee (LSC).
“It was great working with the Fitter and Faster Tour. They handled everything from start to finish – all we had to do was provide a venue,” she shared. “The parent sessions were both fun and informative. Robin Vanderkaay shared her experiences, not only as the parent of an Olympian, but as a swim parent just like them. Over all it was a great experience! “
The Fitter and Faster Swim Tour surveys participants after clinics, asking what they liked about the events and areas in which FFT can improve. Reviews on the surveys have been exceptional! 95% of people responded they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the clinics and would like to return to another clinic.
Aimee Lala, whose daughter has attended four clinics and is signing up for her fifth (in Media, PA on April 5 & 6), explains why her swimmer keep coming back:
“The interaction with the clinicians is what has impressed me the most. The Olympians make a great effort to get the kids engaged and provide feedback that they can use in their training. I also love that the clinicians interact with the participants in the water and don’t just offer tips from the deck. We really saw her improve her level of effort at practice and it showed in her performances at meets. It deepened her love for the sport and her desire to improve.”
Swimmers and swim parents that attend clinics are not the only ones leaving the clinic fulfilled. Athletes decorated with Olympic, World Championship, and NCAA medals, find the tour and each participant drives them to be better athletes.
Chloe Sutton – “Swim Like a Champion” behind the scenes (courtesy of Fitter and Faster Tour presented by Swimoutlet.com)
“The Fitter and Faster Swim Clinics are not only inspirational for the swimmers that attend, but they also inspire me a great deal,” said two-time Olympian and clinician Chloe Sutton. “Throughout the country, I get to interact with people who love swimming and are so excited to learn how to get faster. It really reminds me of why I love the sport and motivates me to want to work even harder!”
Clinicians know firsthand the value of high-quality instruction and it is the reason they are teachers of the sport today. “I attended clinics when I was younger and what an experience!” shared Olympic silver medalist and clinician Jimmy Fiegen.
Jimmy Feigen, 100 freestyle medalist, 2013 World Chamionship (Victor Puig, victorpuig.com)
“I learned so much, but more than learning, I got to see what it took physically and mentally to become a top notch athlete. It started the fire to become who I am today.”
With 2014 quickly approaching, the Fitter and Faster Tour is excited to continue evolving while impacting all who attend.
Fitter and Faster Swim Tour objectives:
– continue developing great athletes into exemplary clinicians
– conduct more clinics all over the country
– teach people of all levels how to swim efficiently and faster with their new DVD series
Fitter and Faster will also be producing their very first Water Polo clinics and events for corporations looking to have a healthier workforce. If there are no clinics scheduled in your area, make sure to request one now or inquire about hosting one.
Watch the Swim Like A Champion video series trailer here:
Fitter and Faster Swim Tour presented by SwimOutet.com is a SwimSwam Partner.