Today during the USA Swimming house of delegates meeting, Jim Sheehan was voted in to be named the USA Swimming President of the Board of Directors.
Not only were multiple members elected on the board, but USA Swimming discussed some important issue such as the proposed Safe Sport program which complies with the Victor Vieth report which has now been approved. Safe Sport is a program that’s been put in place in order to protect USA Swimming athletes.
Another topic up for discussion was the creating of a new championship meet between the Speedo Championship Series and the Speedo Junior Nationals Championships. The focal point of this new meet is to accommodate he large influx of 13&over swimmers, as they’ve increased by a remarkable 40% in numbers since 2003.
Release by USA Swimming
Jim Sheehan Elected USA Swimming President of Board of Directors
House of Delegates passes proposed Safe Sport legislation, addition of Futures events
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – During the USA Swimming House of Delegates meeting today, Jim Sheehan won an election to become USA Swimming President of the Board of Directors, replacing outgoing two-term USA Swimming President Bruce Stratton. Sheehan’s two-year term begins immediately.
“I would like to thank our USA Swimming membership for allowing me to serve the amazing people involved in the greatest sport in the Olympic movement,” said Sheehan. “It’s been an honor to participate in the governance of our sport and I look forward to working with athletes, coaches, volunteers and staff to take this great organization into the future.”
A resident of Metuchen, New Jersey, Sheehan has served as Program Operations Vice President since 2010, following a four-year tenure as Officials Committee Chair. Sheehan has assisted his local New Jersey Swimming Board of Directors since 1992, first as Records Chair then a Board of Directors member. The longtime USA Swimming official has worked at the highest level of domestic and international competition such as the last four Olympic Trials – Swimming, Olympic Games, Phillips 66 Nationals, FINA World Championships, Pan Pacific Championships and Goodwill Games. Sheehan, a Rutgers University graduate, recently retired as Vice President from the Marsh & McLennan Companies after a 40-year professional career.
“USA Swimming has a legacy of incredibly talented volunteer presidents who have moved our sport forward with their focus on governance issues, policies and the general direction of the sport,” said USA Swimming Executive Director Chuck Wielgus. “Jim has a deep-rooted commitment to swimming and his experiences will help us continue to reach record membership levels, promote our sport and achieve competitive success.”
A full list of elected officers, with LSC affiliation:
- President: Jim Sheehan (New Jersey)
- Administration Vice President: Robert Broyles (Inland Empire)
- Program Development Vice President: John Bitter (Pacific)
- Program Operations Vice President: Dan McAllen (North Texas)
- Technical Vice President: Tim Bauer (Gulf)
- Athlete Executive Vice President: Kelley Otto (Indiana)
- Athlete Executive Vice Chair: Michael Klueh (Michigan)
- Treasurer: Stu Hixon (Georgia) *
- Eastern Zone Director (coach): Ed Dellert (New Jersey) *
- Southern Zone Director (non-coach): Clark Hammond (Southeastern)
- Central Zone Director (non-coach): Amy Hoppenrath (Missouri Valley)
- Western Zone Director (coach): Ben Britten (Central California) *
USA Swimming’s membership body voted to approve multiple areas of legislation at the House of Delegates meeting at the annual United States Aquatic Sports Convention. Key Legislation Approved by the House of Delegates:
- Addition of the Futures Championship events starting in 2015, which creates a championship event between the existing Speedo Champions Series (also known as Sectionals) and the Speedo Junior National Championships. This “stepping stone” meet was created to fill a void to compensate for a 40 percent increase in the number of 13 & over athletes since 2003.
- All proposed Safe Sport program items proposed passed to comply with the Victor Vieth report including:
o There will be a prohibition against retaliating against an individual who makes a good faith report
o To provide greater protection from retaliation for members who report by adopting a “rebuttable presumption of retaliation”
o Clarified the scope and charge of the coaches’ panel to whether the conduct is outside the customary and acceptable bounds of coaching
- Deck changing is prohibited, as proposed by athlete representatives
- Removal of the Olympic International Operations Committee from the rule book
A complete list of the adopted legislation/resolution will be available on USASwimming.org.
* designates re-elected officer
I am not happy that Coach Dave Berkoff’s proposals were defeated (and people are not reporting on it more – like at this site).
I do not like how many of the younger LSC athlete reps. are basically being told how to vote on certain items too. One of my jobs as a coach is to teach life skills (like critical thinking) so it bugs me a bit to see that in many cases the athletes are being treated like sheep and pushed to vote one way.
I am really upset that I now know there was pressure by certain members of the BOD to push one of the candidates for President (Jeff Gudman) to remove his name… Read more »
I don’t know anything about Jim Sheehan, but I am GLAD Mary Jo Swalley was not elected. In her interview with Brent Rutemiller, she talks about growing the sport, but at the same time there are problems with taking numbers beyond capacity in many areas. She has said it before, there are too many swimmers in Southern California, therefore, Southern California Swimming does not follow the rules in the rulebook. So she and her cronies deny entries, deny transfers, deny observation requests, tell eligible athletes they are not qualified to swim after the athlete already paid and showed up to swim, and ask athletes to scratch the distance events to shorten the meet.
Mary Jo Swalley also mentions the LA84… Read more »
In my zone I haven’t heard any reps say they have a problem. There are 8 of them and one of their charges is to question things and make the Headquarters accountable for there service, budget, programs and salaries. It has been done in the past and to Executive officer had to have well put together answers. I don’t know how you can “Blackball” as the rep has the position and voice to put up the ideas or questions on any matter. Are they doing it? The term old guard is over used. It is the same as when in the LSC it is said “They do this”.well all clubs and reps and coaches are they. In our LSC a… Read more »
I see it differently as more of his votes would go to the other candidate as they were both from the Western Zone. Check the history of elections. The past presidents don.’t pull strings that much Chou are listening to propaganda. The ad to the group the history of how the orginization got to where it is today from Snowbird and even before. Times have changed so much from the 80’s and nineties that actually if there was string pulling it comes from the National Staff in their relationship to the board and their knowledge and control thst has gone to the Office as part of the changing dynamics in size. They don’t all attend and are not as agenda… Read more »
I disagree. Zone reps are dismissed and sometimes even blackballed when they question the old guard. Ask people who have been in this position.
If past presidents are involved to share history (which they can do without being on the board and without using our dues to pay for their travel), how do you explain two of them calling Jeff and asking him to pull out of the race? That goes well beyond the lines of “sharing history”.
I do respect Mr. Gudman for standing his ground and staying in the race. We could have used someone like that as our president.
Amazing. After 55% of the membership voted to limit the number of past presidents Jim Sheehan allows 6 (yes, six) past presidents on the board. Sheehan is a lap dog for the old guard after two hours.
I agree. The fact that two of these former presidents asked Jeff Gudman to pull his name so that he would not take votes from Jim goes to show how corrupt the old guard is.
House of Delegates- WAKE UP. You would never allow a team president from 15-20 years ago to come to your board meetings and pull the strings of your president. Why do you allow it on your national governing body’s board?
Thank God Swalley wasn’t nominated!!!
Correction – Thank God Swalley was not “elected”!