For the third year in a row, USA Swimming recognized the Santa Maria Swim Club as one of the top 200 swimming programs in the country.
The team was awarded a spot as a bronze medal team by the national swimming governing body’s Club Excellence Program, ranking it No. 178 overall out of more than 3,000 swim clubs nationwide. The club’s coach, Mike Ashmore, said the fact that his club continually makes the list against much larger clubs is gratifying.
“A lot of them have 250 to upwards of 800 kids on their teams,” Ashmore said. “So to be in that category and be able to hold our own with just 150 kids here in Santa Maria is definitely an honor and something we’re really proud of.”
USA Swimming chooses which swimmers will compete in the Olympic Games and awards the top 16 national clubs with gold medal status, 17 through 100 with silver, and 101 to 200 with bronze. The rankings are determined by factoring in competitive results, team make-up, and prestige of coaching staffs.
For more information, or to join the Santa Maria Swim Club, call 928-9655 or visit santa mariaswim.com.
This article appears in Apr 16-23, 2009.