by Alex Kearney
Minnesota Swim and Vibe had a chance to chat with West Express’ Abby Voelker about her experiences attending the Central Zone leadership summit. Abby is an Athlete Representative for Minnesota Swimming (our LSC) and as such, was invited to attend. The summit was held at Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center at the University of Minnesota June 8th – 11th.
Voelker described the Summit as an opportunity for athletes to learn more about how to improve our LSCs (Local Swim Committees) and to improve as athletes overall. This summit was an opportunity to connect with athletes and coaches across the Midwest to achieve zone-wide goal of empowering well rounded athletes and developing leadership skills.
This summit was primarily attended by four athlete representatives from each local swimming committee (LSC) for an exclusive group of about 60 participants to focus on the goals of the summit. These athletes are involved in multiple committees and were eager to share opinions. Besides daily pool and dryland workouts, the athletes attended various sessions throughout each day. The day finished with dinner as a group and some quality bonding time in the dorms.
Sessions included group discussions about topics that were areas of focus for the central zone and the swimming community. These topics included mental health, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI), disability, recruiting, nutrition, professionalism, online engagement, confidence, and project planning. These topics allowed for discussion that help LSCs problem solve and look for opportunities that could occur in local, as well as national swimming communities.
¨We had an amazing session about recruiting that involved college coaches and current college athletes. I learned a lot about DEI and disability in swimming. There were two disabled athletes who were able to speak about their experience with swimming which was super cool to hear¨ said Voelker.
Along with group discussions, there was plenty of fun that went along with the experience. Group bonding sessions brought the representatives together to build new relationships and share ideas. These sessions included a photo scavenger hunt, a skit night, and a trip to the Mall of America. The pool sessions brought excitement to the group as they were given the opportunity to practice with each other one day and compete the next.
Another highlight of the session was a group session with 2016 Olympian Katie Meili. She talked about her experiences throughout her swimming career. Her advice on goal setting was a takeaway by Voelker. She mentioned that making more aggressive goals will help you go further than you thought you ever could.
Overall, the summit allows for greater growth in swimming committees, and it allows for ideas to be shared by athletes from across the Midwest to improve the sport of swimming. For athletes who are interested in summits like these, MN Swimming hosts smaller summits during the year which are available to anyone. Information related to these events is posted on the athlete representative’s Instagram account (@mnsiathletes).
The larger central zone summits are mainly accessible to athlete representatives. Work with your coach or visit Minnesota Swimming Inc. if you are interested in learning more!