Swimming's first pro team

Swimming World and Junior Swimmer, Mar 1999 by Whitten, Phillip

TYR is sponsoring a team of post-graduate swimmersTeam TYR-and would like to create a new model for corporate involvement in the sport of swimming.

It's an idea whose time has come. And come again. And come still again. But only now has it become a reality. The idea: a professional swim team.

Team TYR has been in existence only a few months, but its manager and nominal coach, Matt Zimmer, hopes it will create a new model for corporate involvement in the sport of swimming.

"I'd like to see USA Swimming take what we've done to General Motors or Home Depot as an example of how corporations can support postgraduate swimmers."

At present, there are four members of Team TYR: Bobby Brewer, Steve West, Jarod Schroeder and, just recently, Talor Bendel, the first woman. They may not be household names yet, but all four are members of U.S. national squads this summerBrewer on the Pan Pac team; West, Schroeder and Bendel on the Pan Am team.

All are post-grads and all are training with other coaches-Brewer and West with Dave Salo at Irvine Nova, Schroeder with Jonty Skinner at the National Resident Team, and Bendel with Jon Urbanchek at Club Wolverine.

Says Zimmer: "These athletes responded to the idea of professionalism as athletes have in other sports. But we are very fortunate to have coaches who are willing to train them, yet allow them to represent Team TYR."

Under the terms of their contracts, Team TYR members receive small monthly stipends, travel and some living expenses plus performance bonuses. Bonuses can be won both for world rankings and for performances at high-profile meets-U.S. Nationals, World Cup, Pan Pacs, Pan Ams and so on.

Team members also receive $4,000 worth of equipment from TYR, Quicksilver (deck and surf wear), Asics (footwear) and Boulder Gear (parkas).

THE FIRST MEMBER

Bobby Brewer (left), ranked second in the U.S. and sixth in the world in the 100 backstroke, was the first member of Team TYR. Last August, at summer nationals, he attracted some attention when in a humorous (but serious) bid to attract sponsors that would allow him to continue his career, he wore a T-shirt that read: "Put Your Ad Here."

Unorthodox as his approach was, it worked. Brewer, who had moved to Irvine, Calif.completely broke and without ever having seen the pool-to swim for Nova the day after he graduated from the University of Georgia, attracted the attention of several swimwear companies. After talks with several of them, Brewer signed on with TYR.

"This is a really good opportunity for me to continue my career, to get to meets and to promote myself," said Brewer. "Without Team TYR, there's no way I'd be able to continue swimming. I think U.S. Swimming is missing out on having our best athletes compete in their prime. Look at John Elway, doing his best at 38."

GO WEST, YOUNG MAN

University of Michigan grad Steve West (below), was next to sign on. West, 26, is a busy man: he was married last October, and he works full-time as president of Metafuse, Inc., the internet and software development house that constructed and maintains Swimming World's web site, www.swiminfo.com. Training with Coach Salo allows him to continue swimming while he lives a normal adult life.

"I remember when Dave (Salo) first mentioned the Team TYR idea to me last year," says West, "but I didn't think it would come about. I was like, 'yeah, whatever. If you get it going, I'll participate."'

It got going, and true to his word, West signed on. "It's the first time in my life I've had any support for my swimming," he commented.

Last December, West, who finished third in the 200 breast at the 1996 Olympic Trials (2:14.94), became the first Team TYR swimmer to win a major event when he copped the 200 breast at the World Cup meet in Texas.

"This is a great opportunity for me to continue swimming," West notes. "I'm going to keep going as long as possible-I tell the kids on my team I'll be around until 2004 or 2008...at least! I'd like to make an Olympic team, but if I don't, that's OK, too. I see no reason to stop-there are too many other benefits from swimming."

LATE BLOOMER

Jarod Schroeder is a late bloomer. Except for a stint as a 10 and under, he did not begin his swim career until he walked onto the team at Northern Illinois University. By his sophomore year, he had qualified for USS Nationals, and in '96, he swam at the Olympic Trials, helped along by a fund-raising effort by the good people from his hometown of Morrison, Ill. Now he's a member of the National Resident Team (NRT) in Colorado Springs, the Pan Am team and Team TYR.

After graduating in 1995, Schroeder kept swimming... and kept improving. In 1997, he applied for the NRT, but Coach Jonty Skinner rejected him. Undaunted, he kept at it. After spring nationals last year, he spoke to Skinner again and was accepted on a provisional basis. Last summer, he swam 54.00 in the 100 meter fly to rank 23rd in the world.

Skinner is now high on Schroeder. "Jarod has tremendous potential. He swam several lifetime bests at the Kerr-McGee meet last December, " he said, "and that was unshaved and untapered. I think he's going to go a lot faster."