Still KING?... An Article by Ken Spencer

Feb 2, 2010

I'm walking out of KCAC after the Washington Senior Meet. In my head I'm going through swimmers performances event by event, thinking about what went well and what still needs work. As I got to the parking lot I made eye contact with a parent who used to be with KING, but is currently with another club. We shared that slightly awkward moment for a beat, and then she said:

“Well, I guess KING is still King”
Looking for the right words I cleverly came up with:
“Yep”
Impressive, I know.
We exchanged some brief small talk about some swims and I went on to my car. But a few days later I was still thinking about this and it begged the question: Are we still King?
While we haven’t made a huge deal over it, the changes and challenges over that last sixth months have been significant; Sean’s move, the hiring / relocating of eight coaches, the Mercer Island breakaway, a near closure of Mt. Rainier, and a total overhaul of the KING Booster Club. Any of these things could have destroyed or at least had a permanently negative impact on a lesser group of people.
The easy answer is - of course we are! We look like KING. Same suits, same caps, cool banner. All the coaches wear black shirts and a few can still be heard from miles away. Performance? We still swim like KING. Despite thoughts that this may be the year that KING was beatable, we posted strong performances at Nationals and in both championship meets this December. It was made clear that if another team wants to wear the crown, it won’t come easily. We still have a very supportive group of parents, the booster club is operating in support of our athletes, and thanks in large part to efforts from the club, a pools district was created saving the Mt. Rainier Pool. 
But it’s never that easy.
The reality is that we’re still evolving as a club, and we’re never the same from year to year. The idea improving performance through constant changes applies to both the swimmers and coaching staff. The reality is that our coaches are constantly adjusting what they are doing within a set of KING values and philosophy. But how do we ensure KING values and philosophy with eight coaching changes? 
Look closely at the new staff. While they bring ideas and experiences from all over the country, and in some cases the world, many have KING roots. Of the seven “new” hires, four were KING swimmers, one a KING parent, and the other two have demonstrated ideals that mirror those that KING embodies. In the midst of all of this change is a core of stability. Currently, there are five coaches on the staff who have been here at least six years and Keith has been here since the late 1800s. I’ll save the resumes of both veteran and rookie staff members for another time, but in short – they’re pretty impressive. You’re not going to find anything comparable at any other team in the area. 
The big one. Sean’s move to California. In many ways Sean’s departure was inevitable. After some thought, I think we’re fortunate this is how things have evolved. We need to go back a bit:
Eight years ago Sean joined a team that had a single national qualifier. Sean’s evolution as a coach and the success that KING began to enjoy paralleled each other. First there were multiple national qualifiers, then Olympic trial qualifiers in 2004. By 2008 we had Olympians and world record holders culminating with an appointment to the 2008 Olympic Coaching staff. Due to this success, the program gained the ability to nurture itself in other ways. As new swimmers joined, the team’s increase in size and revenue allowed the club to bring in new coaches to continue to work with the younger swimmers. I’m skipping a ton of relevant detail and events here, but in short – KING has made out pretty well.    
Last summer Sean had a decision to make. Continue to do what we were doing at KING, or change and take the next logical step. Instead of developing swimmers at an Olympic level, he was asked to help shape our Olympic team. You know how the story goes from there.
How does that help us? Short term, there are pros and cons. Long term, I think what he can bring to King is unique and truly invaluable. Bridging the gap between National and International competition is no small feat. Simply put, most clubs don’t. Having the center for excellence athletes as a resource for our swimmers is something that few programs have. Our swimmers have the opportunity to see, meet and train with the world’s best. There is nothing else like it. But the real value goes beyond individual swimmers.
Sean is many things, but he’s one man. He can only work with so many athletes. By taking what he’s learning from working at the center for excellence and using the resources provided by the United States Olympic Committee he can literally become the best coaching reference we have. By passing that knowledge to our own coaching staff who work with our 350+ athletes daily, we can expect that each of our swimmers are getting the best, most up to date instruction possible. While you may not see it directly – we’re all going to benefit. 
Are we still KING? Maybe it’s better to ask:
  • Are we still making sure we’re giving our swimmers every opportunity and resource we can so they can go as far as they can in the sport?
  • Are we still identifying and addressing needs of each individual person in our quest to become One team?
  • Are will still intent on becoming the best team in the world?
I think we’re doing these things. Perhaps it’s not as smooth as we’d all like. At times we have different ideas about how to accomplish these goals. It’s too easy to look back at the way things were, and sometimes those who are looking at the past may be facing in the wrong direction.
At heart I think we’re still KING. Perhaps a KING Version 2.0 or 6.0 or KING part Duex, but definitely KING. We have too many good people in place who are committed to being the best in the world. It’s never going to be the same from year to year. If it were, we wouldn’t be KING.
 -Ken Spencer