In May of 2015, SwimMAC Carolina announced an agreement between the swim club and developer RL West for a new aquatic center to be built at LangTree, a retail/residential development on Lake Norman, outside of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Valued at around $4 million, the agreement for the donation of property in the LangTree development in Mooresville, entailed SwimMAC building an aquatic center on the site that would include a 50 meter competition pool, a training pool ideal for lessons, and seating for more than 1500 spectators.
However, according to local media outlet The Charlotte Observer, SwimMAC Carolina has canceled plans for the aquatic center, citing ‘organizational changes and financial forecast.’ This comes about just months after a major shake-up in the structure of the club, of which Olympians Ryan Lochte and Katie Meili call home. A club at one-time built as a model around having a full-time dedicated, professional management staff, SwimMAC Carolina announced in March of this year that all non-coaching administrative positions had been eliminated.
The Charlotte Observer reports that RL West is ‘still communicating with SwimMAC’ and will discuss other RL West properties in Mooresville with the swim club.
“We still want to see them (in Mooresville), and we hope we can work that out,” says the developer.
When you brought in Marsh you only have yourself to blame. He was conducting coaching at Auburn, as i understand it from swimming circles, in ways that were less than honorable. SwimMAC’s due diligence, or perhaps blind eye, led to hiring a guy who is in it for himself. And this is the end result.
No surprise! SwimMAC has been losing all their top coaches!! They have lost at least 3 of the Senior 1 & 2 coaches, and several of the Age Group development coaches in just the last few months. It is no secret that they let go of all non-coaching positions due to financial hardships. They are re-instating fundraising requirements for all families, increasing dues, etc. All the while the morale of the team is failing, coaches/athletes are leaving, and rumors fly about the future of the team itself and the once “Empire” of SwimMAC seems to be crumbling around David Marsh. And he could care less, as long as it doesn’t effect him traveling the world with team Elite on the… Read more »
Why is anyone surprised? Do a little research. Brandon Drawz from National Swimming Center Corporation was brought in by Marsh (let the Google searches begin). A few years later he is fired. Why was he fired and what if anything was he paid upon leaving? Shortly there after Mac is in financial trouble (SwimMac Board e-mail dated 3/13/16). Let the begging begin. Next SwimMac Board e-mail dated 4/8/16 states they are in the hole for between $175k to $190k. Next comes the good news e-mail dated 5/19/16 that if you decide to come back for short course season your dues are going up significantly and congratulations – you now have to fund raise $400 per family. The final SwimMac Board… Read more »
I’m certain Mr Drawz had little if not anything to do with the $500,000 spending problem at MAC. He was gone April 2015, months before the improvements at the Latin facility, the training trip to San Diego or the private jets Team Elite took.
Coach Marsh is the CEO. He hired and fired Drawz and as CEO was responsible for anything he may have done as a staff member of the club. From the email dates in Swim Girls comments, it looks like their preparation for trials and the expenses of trials for a half a dozen athletes was more the problem than Mr Drawz could have been. Even if he was mis-managed.
The organization was very tight lipped about Drawz and why he was fired. As a parent of a swimmer in the club I suspect the money troubles were largely related to this and other mismanagement of funds. It is unfortunate, but the board has worked hard to put the club in good financial footing and refocus their efforts on what they do right, quality coaching on the pool deck.
SwimMac is in terrible financial shape–the leadership of the organization is overpaid and has driven the program into a deep hole–to the point where they are having difficulty paying their debts. Furthermore, the coaches only care about swimmers who are tracking for Olympic Trials and everything they do is only to support the elite swimmers. The only thing this club cares about is making money–so very sad as it used to be known as a great place for your child to swim and lots of families are leaving the program because of the change.
While I’m not doubting your comment on the shift of priority at SwimMAC, they clearly don’t only care about money (or they are really dumb about it), because if they did, they would be investing more in less elite swimmers. That’s where the money is really at. It sounds like they care more about prestige and being known as a center for elite swimmers than providing comprehensive swimming opportunities, and that is hurting them financially.
Where is the money they raised during the “One lane at time” campaign for Langtree? Whose managing those funds now? Or is it going to exclusive “training” for the elite coaches in October? If Marsh really cared about the age-group swimmers, maybe he should have donated a portion of his $300K+ salary back to MAC while he double collected from the USA Olympic committee.
Word was he took a greatly reduced salary from the club while financials were restructured.
The challenge is what club do you move your kids to? You say that a lot of families are leaving the program. Where are they going to.
Mecklenburg Swim Association
Ha! MSA is terrible. Right up there with Sailfish and Enfinity.
No surprises here. A lot of people associated with this project on both sides of the isle didn’t find any warm greetings once all was said and done. A failure.
Also – lol
Not sure what article you read, the one you linked said SwimMac is not engaged with the developer “Langtree is “not activly engaged with SwimMac…””
Since Coach Marsh won’t comment to the Observer, maybe you can get a comment from him when he returns from Israel.