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ASCA Executive Director

John has served as Executive Director of ASCA since January of 1985. Areas under his direct supervision in the ASCA office include certification, the World Clinic, ethics, and ASCA’s interactions with the swimming world. He serves on the USA Swimming International Relations Committee and OIOC, travels widely for ASCA, both within the USA and internationally, is a World Swimming Coaches Association Board Member and co-founder, and edits the ASCA publications.

John has three children, David 37; Mary 32; and Jackson 18.

Insights[]

What is John most proud of during his tenure at ASCA?[]

“Two things… first, when I came here in 1985, we had 1,654 members. We’ve been able to serve the American coaching community well enough to grow well over 5,000 members since then, and I feel good about us filling that need. At the same time, we’ve remained the only truly independent coaches association in the world, which has allowed us to freely express our opinions on all topics in the world of swimming. We get to stand up for what we believe in, which is a sacred thing to our Board of Directors. I’m proud we’ve been able to maintain that while we grow.”

On FINA with news that Mexico (also known as MEX) Flag of Mexico will not host the 2017 World Swim Championships[]

  • John Leonard, Executive Director for the American Swim Coaches Association and World Swimming Coaches associations said: “This is certainly a sad moment for our Mexican friends Mexico (also known as MEX) Flag of Mexico. But it is understandable because FINA has now inflated the price of a world championships beyond what any democracy would consider prudent to pay for a sports event. FINA will be mired forever into using facilities in autocratic countries where a ruling elite can make a decision to over-spend for the ‘sporting prestige’ of hosting such an event, which means that FINA and the democracies are finished with each other. It’s unfortunate that an organization charged with representing all of us now truly works only with the autocracies. We all deserve better. But then, FINA knows best how to line its own pockets. They are experts at it.” [1]

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