Trading the High Profile for the Pool: Bethany Burchill’s Leap of Passion, EP 316

From Athletics To The Pool

Speaker 2 0:00

I was in athletics before sports administration before I became on staff at USMS. I was an athletic director in Carmel, Indiana, and worked for a youth sports organization that had about 15 to 20,000 participants. So it was what I consider kind of a high profile position, but I was always looking forward to narrowing my focus and jumping back into the pool.

Welcome To Champions Mojo

Speaker 0:23

Hello, friends. Welcome to the Champions Mojo podcast, where we bring you interviews and topics to help you live well and swim well, conversations especially meaningful for master swimmers and anyone striving to perform better in the water or in life. We're here to champion you. And now your host, Kelly Palace.

Meet Bethany Birchell On Deck

Speaker 1 0:46

I am at the Bumpy Jones classic Longhorse Meters Meet doing an on-deck interview, and I'm so excited to have Bethany Burchill. She's the manager of member services for U.S. Master Swimming. And here she is in Sarasota. Bethany, welcome to Champions Mojo. Hi, Kelly.

Speaker 2 1:04

Thank you so much for having

Her Swim Story And Events

Speaker 2 1:05

me.

Speaker 1 1:05

So you have a swimming background. Give us a little bit of background on where your swimming career took you and how you ended up at U.S. master swimming working in this position.

Speaker 2 1:17

Sure, I'd love to. I was a swimmer in Washington PA, so grew up in a very small town, came into swimming, swam through college and went to Washington and Jefferson College. Um, completed a very mildly successful swimming career there, loved the sport, looked forward to continuing to work in the sport, which I did. My kids became swimmers. They swam for Carmel, Indiana. They went to college and swam as well. And ever since I've been in the sports world and was very excited to take a position with USMS about four years ago. So what were your events in college? My events in college were all of the fun ones. Uh 400 IM, 200 fly, also the miles. So definitely more of a middle distance, distance-oriented butterflyer.

Speaker 1 2:03

No wonder I like you, right? We share that love of the painful events. So you said you wanted to have a swimming career. What were your kind of swimming positions before US master

Carmel Swimming Culture And Career Path

Speaker 1 2:13

swimming?

Speaker 2 2:13

Well, actually, I was in athletics before sports administration, before I became on staff at USMS. I was an athletic director in Carmel, Indiana, and worked for a youth sports organization that had about 15 to 20,000 participants. So it was what I consider kind of a high-profile position, but I was always looking forward to narrowing my focus and jumping back into the pool.

Speaker 1 2:36

Wow. And Carmel, Indiana is kind of famous for their club program there. They've had a lot of great swimmers. How long were your kids in that program? And what was that like being at one of the top USA swimming programs?

Speaker 2 2:50

It was actually fantastic. They were in the program since they started swimming. Both of them started at young ages, six and seven years old, and continued through and just love the program. The community is very supportive of swimming, lots of pools in the area, and it was just a great atmosphere for them to grow up and become swimmers.

Moving To Florida And Joining USMS

Speaker 1 3:10

So then you end up four years ago at US Masters Swimming. How did that happen? Did you move to Sarasota to be in the office? Or now everybody's remote, or what what was that transition?

Speaker 2 3:22

Well, that's a great question. My my kids had graduated college. My youngest um had also moved away from home. And at that point in time, it just seemed like the right time to consider a job change and relocate. My parents live here in Florida, and it was just a great time, you know, to make that change. So I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to come to USMS.

Speaker 1 3:44

That is fantastic. Well, I know so many people are singing your praises. You you answer emails. What is like the number one question that you answer, that you get emails from that our listeners might be, oh, this is the person I need to

The Biggest Member Questions

Speaker 1 3:59

contact. Like member services, what do you see the most need for out there?

Speaker 2 4:03

We have a lot of questions related to finding a club in general, trying to understand what USMS is about, if it's very competitive, if it's more fitness oriented. Um, I just I love talking to people about swimming. I love helping them find a program that might be a good fit for them. And I also get to work with people like yourself that are achieving records and really performing at a high level. So I get to work from people just getting used to the sport and introduced to it and then high-level athletes. So I I love all of it.

Speaker 1 4:35

Yeah, that is the great thing about master swimming, that there's brand new people that just learn to swim and then you got your world record holders. So if someone is looking for answers for those answers without emailing you, what would you say the best resource for

Club Finder And Calling The Office

Speaker 1 4:52

them is?

Speaker 2 4:52

Our website is wonderful and it is, it has a lot of information on finding clubs. Using the Club Finder option on our website really gives you access to any program that we offer across the country. So that's probably the number one thing people are always looking for. Where can I find a place to swim? Whether it be just starting out as a member or they're looking for a place because they're going to be traveling. So that's always a great resource. But they're always welcome to call the office. We will answer the phone. We'd love to talk swimming with them. And whether it's me answering the phone or one of my coworkers, we just love swimming and always happy to connect with people that do as well.

Speaker 1 5:29

That's wonderful. So you wear

Supporting Clubs And Certifying Records

Speaker 1 5:31

a lot of hats. I know you you are the person that sends out the records certification, and then you work with membership. Do you work also with the club coaches? Like if a club is established and a coach has questions.

Speaker 2 5:44

I do. I definitely I also handle a club administration, helping new clubs get off the ground, helping them connect with potential members or current members. And I love doing that because we want our clubs to be successful, and the more we can support them, the more successful they can be.

Speaker 1 6:00

And

Running Fitness And A Possible Comeback

Speaker 1 6:01

how about your own swimming with all this work? Are you swimming? I know talking a little bit beforehand, you said you're mostly a runner, but what is your you're very fit? I'm looking at you in person. And what is your kind of fitness routine to balance this job?

Speaker 2 6:16

I I am a runner. I do like the piece of going out for a run and just having that time to myself. If I do swim, it's just periodically. And I I do like having swimming be a little less important than it was before, but I love the challenge of getting in and trying to perform when I can. Maybe someday I will take the plunge again and compete. But for now, I'm just enjoying it more at the recreational level. And that's what I love about swimming. You can make it what you want it to be.

Speaker 1 6:43

So yeah, it's absolutely great just for recreation. But we may see you in a meet one day. You just never know, right? Never say never. Yes. Okay, what would be the first event that you might enter if you did the Sarasota meet next year?

Speaker 2 6:57

Okay, well, it would probably be it'd probably be a freestyle, probably be a a hundred free or something like that, somewhere in the middle, just to get me in the water and comfortable, but not, you know, not pushing the limits too far.

Speaker 1 7:11

I love that you've thought about that. I know. I love that, Bethany. Okay. Is there anything

Meet-Day Joy And Closing Request

Speaker 1 7:16

that I have not asked you that you might want to share?

Speaker 2 7:19

I appreciate you having me on today. I'm so excited to be here at the Bumping Jones meet just to see the many faces of people that I interact with, you know, consistently with USMS and seeing them in person is even better because I get to see them doing something they love and I appreciate that very much.

Speaker 1 7:35

We are so pleased with all that you're doing for us, Master Swimmers, out here. Thank you, thank you, and thanks for being on the show. Sure. You're so welcome. Thank you, Kelly, and good luck today. Thank you.

Speaker 7:46

Thank you for listening to the Champions Mojo podcast. Would you consider leaving us a five star review on Apple? That's like getting a best time for us. Kelly and our team would be so grateful. See you next week for another boost of mojo.