The Race Club swimming camp was not officially founded until 2003, but its origin dates back to the year 2000 when a group of 13 talented swimmers came together to train for the Sydney Olympic Games. At that time, we called ourselves The World Team.
The World Team of 2000 was an experiment for us. For the first time, we provided not only great swimming coaches for the 13 athletes, but great coaches in all five of the important training disciplines: swimming, strength training, mental training, nutrition and recovery. We had never done that before. The swimming drills and private swim lessons from the Race Club coaches paid off. Our results exceeded our expectations. Ten athletes competed in Sydney, six for the United States. The six American athletes won 10 Olympic swimming medals for the USA, 1/10 of the total medals won for our country.
In 2003, Gary Hall Jr. founded The Race Club in Islamorada, Florida, with the hopes of promoting the sport of swimming worldwide. Gary Jr. designed the logo using the Sea Griffin, symbolizing fierce competitiveness and the dolphins, for swimming athleticism.
Just to be sure our success at the 2000 Games was not a coincidence; we repeated our effort in 2004 for Athens, this time as The Race Club. Although we sent fewer swimmers to Athens, the results were just as impressive. We won six Olympic swimming medals. Now we knew we had developed a great formula for fast swimming.
In 2006, The Race Club began to share what we had learned about training swimming athletes in all five important disciplines with the rest of the world. We began offering The Race Club swimming camps where we taught swimmers of any age, or any ability, how to swim faster. Swimmers have come from around the world to learn our training and swimming techniques. They have not been disappointed.
In 2008, 17 swimmers, representing 15 countries that trained with The Race Club, competed in the Beijing Olympics. Two more Olympic swimming medals were won. All competitors swam their personal best times.
Since 2008, although we no longer train Olympic swimmers at The Race Club as a team, seven additional Race Club swimmers have represented their respective countries at the Olympic Games in London, Rio, Tokyo, and Paris, earning 11 more Olympic medals. All seven swimmers attended Race Club camps or private sessions to improve their technique. So far, the total number of Race Club swimmers who have reached the Olympic Games since 1996 is 57. Those swimmers have collectively earned 33 Olympic medals.
Today, The Race Club is focused on developing the most advanced swim camps in the world in the beautiful city of Oceanside, California. Swim campers not only benefit from the Race Club formulas for success in training but also some of the most advanced video and analytical software and technology available. With each Race Club Camper, we have proudly improved their skill, elevated their enthusiasm, and opened their eyes to swimming’s lifelong possibilities. For some, a Race Club Camp has resulted in a full college scholarship. For others, it has simply renewed a passion for the sport and strengthened a commitment to fitness.
Training Olympic swimmers is our passion and our history. Making you a better swimmer is our business. Life is worth swimming!