“We have our 10-year anniversary this week and we’ve come a long way,” he said. “It feels really good. We are not having a huge party, but we are recognizing this milestone. We are spread around all over the country.”
Arluck shared that he was always a big fan of the sport. His father was a good swimmer in college and went to the Olympic Trials in 1964. “I always gravitated towards swimming since I was such a fan of the sport,” he said.
He felt that with Fitter and Faster Swim Camp, he could help other distinguished world-class athletes out there that swim at finals, aside from the Olympic medalists, in an effort to prevent them from going into obscurity. “Back in the day, there were only a handful of swim clinics in the country and only the wealthy teams were having them,” he said.
“I wanted to create a clinic program where we are just working with elite-level swimmers, but who are also very good teachers. Instead of charging teams to come out, we will stick our flag in the ground and sell the registrations like a concert. There was anything like that before,” he said.
“We’ve been rolling ever since. We’ve had ups and downs along the way,” he said. “We always wanted to make it a great experience for people. Now, in 2019, we’re in a point where we will do over 1,200 sessions of clinics in 47 states. We have over 80 Olympians and Olympic coaches, and other athletes that narrowly missed the Olympics, leading our camps. Our reviews are better than ever. We are doing really terrific things.”
On the impact of technology on aquatics, he said, “For the most part, technology has helped swimmers improve their technique by learning from one another. That’s why you’ve seen such huge time drops over the last 15 years. Another important thing is social media, which allows athletes to build a name for themselves and establish relationships with sponsors.”
“Technology creates the opportunity for the athletes to really rally on each other and create enthusiasm for different endeavors,” he added.
To learn more about the Fitter and Faster Swim Camp, check out its official website and their Facebook page. “I appreciate all of the partners (coaches and facilities) we work with all around the country to bring us in and to enthusiastically plan what we are doing locally to help improve swimming in the area and encourage their community to come,” he said.
“Of course, I would like to thank all the parents who sign their kids up and encourage their kids to come and give it a chance,” he concluded.
Read More: Digital Journal chatted with Olympic swimmer Chloe Sutton, the Vice President and Clinician of Fitter and Faster.
