Our Mission and History

In Summer 2006, Ann Arbor-area swim clubs joined swimmers, leadership and resources to become a unified Club Wolverine Swimming serving the needs of area swimmers from developmental instruction, to age-group competition, to national and international experience.

Unified, the nationally recognized CW offers unparalleled opportunities for Ann Arbor-area swimmers of all ages and training levels. In the team's first championships after reorganization, CW swept National Long Course Championships as well as Michigan State Championships. We look forward to exciting developments at age-group, national team, and Oympic levels.

Club Wolverine

For almost 30 years, Club Wolverine had been the summer training program for University of Michigan swimmers. The legendary Gus Stager started the program so his Michigan swimmers could train year-round without having to leave campus in the summer. In 1983, Jon Urbanchek directed the program while also taking over as head coach of men's swimming at Michigan. Having sent more than two dozen athletes to the Olympics in his 40 years of coaching, Urbanchek credits the CW program as key to developing a long list of national and international success. Athletes such as Mike Barrowman, Tom Dolan, Tom Malchow, Erik Namesnik, Chris Thompson and many others achieved Olympic success under Coach Urbanchek.

In 2004, Coach Bob Bowman became head coach of the Michigan men's program and currently coaches the Club Wolverine High-Performance athletes. He is building on the success of coaches Stager and Urbanchek. As the long-time coach of multiple Olympic Gold medalist and world record holder Michael Phelps, Bowman continues the CW tradition of developing world-class swimmers, including athletes such as Klete Keller, Kaitlin Sandeno, Peter Vanderkaay, Eric Vendt, and others sure to make news in 2008.

In late 2005, Coach Bowman tapped Wolverine Aquatics Head Coach Eric Namesnik to expand the CW collegiate/national program into a full-spectrum age-group swim program. "Snik," a two-time Olympic silver medalist (1992, 1996) and a former Michigan assistant coach under Urbanchek, was an ideal choice to lead Ann Arbor age-group swimming programs under the unifying banner of Club Wolverine.

By the time a tragic car accident ended Snik's life in early January 2006, his vision for the future of swimming in Ann Arbor was clear. Ann Arbor age-group swim clubs, including Wolverine Aquatics and Ann Arbor Swim Club, remained committed to a full-spectrum program from development to national team. Even after Snik's death, the clubs continued the work of bringing this vision to reality.

Learn more about the life of Eric Namesnik and donate to the Memorial Fund for his young children.

Wolverine Aquatics

Founded in Ann Arbor, the age-group program known as Wolverine Aquatics was formed in 1997 on the premise of "teaching competitive swimming with a focus on the individual, at all levels."

Research, biomechanics and kinesiology formulated a technique-oriented focus that began with Wolverine Aquatics first head coach Jason Lancaster and was further developed by Bethany Williston. Head Coach and engineer Joe Plane elevated training and skill development during the program's evolution.

Ann Arbor Swim Club

During the short-course season just before the reorganization, the Ann Arbor Swim Club proudly celebrated its 50th anniversary as an age-group swim club. Founded in 1956 by the legendary RoseMary Mann Dawson, daughter of one-time Michigan swimming coach Matt Mann, II, AASC also traces its roots back to Michigan swimming.

In its 50 years the club saw many changes in the sport of swimming and saw its numbers swell from about 60 in the late 1950s to about 300 by 2006. AASC was ranked a two-time Silver medal club by USA Swimming for its performances during 2004-05 and 2005-06.