Welcome to 2026 and welcome to Swimming Gold.

This year I’ve made a commitment to do a lot more video. There’s a lot of Ai generated text out there - and a lot of it is rubbish. So in response, I’ve decided it’s time for me to record videos most days and strive to help more coaches, more teachers, more swimmers and more swimming parents around the world.

I believe our sport is at a cross-roads.

There’s no way to spin it: in many places around the world, the number of kids in organized, competitive swimming is on the decline as it has been for well over a decade.

We can look blame a lot of things for this decline…Covid…Pool closures…the cost of being involved in the sport…Meet formats… and 100 other things, but in the end - as coaches and as teachers - let’s focus on one thing - the one thing WE can control: how can we do what we do better.

If you’re still standing at the end of the pool yelling numbers at kids for two hours morning and night five days a week and wondering “Where have all the swimmers gone?” - this is the year to re-think and change the way you coach.

I strongly believe the future of this sport is in the hands of coaches and teachers.

If we do what we do better, if we coach with energy, passion, enthusiasm, engagement and if we do all we can to inspire the hearts and minds of every kid we coach, this sport will grow and flourish for another 100 years.

If we don’t - if we stand back and wait for more pools to be built, for the Federations to change Meet formats, for the sport to become cheaper to be involved with - my friends - we’re in trouble.

Let’s make 2026 the year when we grab hold of the destiny of this remarkable sport, lift our coaching every day in every thing we do to extra-ordinary levels and together inspire every child in the world to fall in love with the experience of being in and around water.

We can do it!

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