Swim Club to Superpower: How Nitro Became #2 in the Nation—and is Still Growing

GMM presented by  @SwimOutletcom   @SwimOutletGear  This GMM episode is for club owners, swim parents, aspiring coaches—and anyone who wants to understand how modern swimming clubs are built, sustained, and scaled in a digital-first world. When you talk about big teams in USA Swimming, one name swims to the top: Nitro Swimming. Founded by Mike Koleber and Tracy Koleber Nitro didn’t just pop up overnight—it was built lane by lane, swimmer by swimmer, from the ground up in the suburbs of Austin, Texas. What started as a vision and a handful of kids is now the second-largest swim club in the United States, with thousands of swimmers across multiple locations and a digital footprint that rivals Olympians. A digital-first world matters when you are an entrepreneur in any industry.  Mike Koleber knows this, and he has built a social following that rivals the biggest names in our sport.   U.S. stars have massive followers, like Michael Phelps' 3.7 million on Instagram. You might think Caeleb Dressel (735,000) or Katie Ledecky (903,000) would come in second--and you would be wrong. Nitro CEO and swim coach Mike Koleber has the second biggest followers on Instagram with 1.6 million followers (and another 1.5 million on Tik Tok).

On today’s episode of the SwimSwam Podcast, we’re joined by a coach who has consistently left his mark across every level of the sport: SPIRE Academy Head CoachThad Schultz. A standout swimmer at West Virginia back in the day, Thad transitioned from athlete to trusted mentor and coach with a résumé that reads like a tour through American swimming. Thad coached on the deck at Clemson, Ohio State, and Penn State, and has worked with over 20 Olympians, 18 NCAA All-Americans, and countless age group and sectional standouts. Whether it was building champions at SwimMAC, developing youth at Brunswick Y, or now shaping the next generation at SPIRE Academy, Coach Thad has seen—and built—it all. And he’s not just coaching for performance in the pool—he’s building stronger minds. With a master’s in counseling from Clemson, Thad brings a perspective many coaches miss. In this episode, we dive into how that training informs his philosophy on athlete development, leadership, and life after the pool.

SwimSwam sat down with newly hired Notre Dame men's and women's swimming head coach, Mike Norment. The 16x NCAA All-American swimmer has been coaching on deck for a while now, with college coaching stops at Georgia Tech and Georgia. Norment is innovative and thinks outside the box, which has resulted in his swimmers being engaged and bought into his system. He hopes to bring the same level of enthusiasm and concentration to South Bend, which will see the men's team back in action this season after a 1-year suspension for gambling. The new head coach also dives into what he learned from working with Nic Fink as a seasoned pro and starting his own club team, Metro Atlanta Aquatic Club.

It was only one month ago that Summer McIntosh broke 3 world records and approached 2 more at the 2025 Canadian World Trials in Victoria. After one of the single best performances at a competition in history, McIntosh has gotten back to work, preparing for Singapore at the end of the month. Today, McIntosh sat down with the media and fielded questions about Katie Ledecky, training with Fred Vergnoux and Bob Bowman, and chasing 5 Olympic gold medals in LA.

SwimSwam sat down with May-Ambre Moluh, the French sprinter who just finished her freshman season at Cal and is headed to Singapore for the World Championships this summer. We discuss her toughest sets in France, the American Mentality, and competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Today’s episode is a big one. We’re joined by Jaimie Fuller — Chairman and co-founder of eo, the company behind eo SwimBETTER, the wearable that’s quietly but rapidly changing how elite swimmers train. If you follow the tech side of the sport, you’ve heard the buzz: real data, real-time feedback, real results. But this conversation isn’t just about gadgets and gear. It’s about values. Fuller and eo have launched the Integrity Wall campaign, taking dead aim at the Enhanced Games. It’s a bold stance in a sport that, frankly, has a complicated history talking about clean performance. Fuller tells us why he felt compelled to draw a line in the sand, and why now is the time for swimming to take a clear position. We also get into the data revolution — how athletes like Pan Zhanle, Paige Madden, and Kyle Chalmers are showing what’s possible when you blend tech, technique, and transparency. Fuller opens up on how eo’s AI-driven tools are reshaping the athlete-coach dynamic, unlocking gains without crossing lines. And — hot off the press — we break down Swimming’s Moneyball, a new documentary from eo that drops today. It’s a fresh look at how data is redefining what it means to be fast in the water. If you care about the future of swimming, clean sport, or what happens when tech meets talent, this is an episode you don’t want to miss. Editor note: Jaimie Fuller does state in this podcast interview that the Enhance Games is promoting pharmaceutical sales. We did review the Enhanced Games website, and (as of the day of this report), the homepage of the Enhanced Games website has a button in the upper righthand corner GET ENHANCED. When you click that button you are taken to enhanced performance products. TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy) is listed with a dollar amount to buy.

After 4+ decades as head coach of the Nashville Aquatic Club, John Morse is retiring at the end of the month. Under Morse's leadership, NAC has produced over 65 Olympic Trials qualifiers, won over 40 LSC Championships, and earned 15 Gold Medal Club awards. Most recently, the club helped guide the swim careers of Olympians and NCAA icons Alex and Gretchen Walsh. SwimSwam sat down with John to discuss his long tenure in Nashville and the lessons he learned along the way. Young and old swim coaches alike, you won't want to miss this conversation.

Dutch backstroker Kira Tousaint recently announced her retirement from competitive swimming. She ended her career as a 3x Olympian, 11x European Champion, and Dutch record-holder in the 50 and 100 back (LCM) as well as the 50, 100, and 200 back (SCM). She was also an NCAA All-American for the University of Tennessee, where she competed from 2015-2017.

Today on the SwimSwam podcast is a man who doesn’t just run a program—he builds an ecosystem. We’re joined by Bill Dorenkott, Ohio State’s Director of Swimming and Diving. Bill’s teams have quietly—and not so quietly—become one of the most consistent and innovative forces in collegiate swimming. We’re talking about a program that, in summer 2025 alone, qualified 16 athletes for U.S. Nationals, notched 24 second swims, and put 4 athletes on U.S. National Teams. Charlie Clarke’s heading to Worlds in open water. Matthew Klinge, Mila Nikanorov, and Daniel Baltes? Off to represent at the World University Games. And let’s not forget—Daniel Baltes had never even swum a long course meet before coming to Columbus. But this conversation isn’t just about results. It’s about how they’re doing it. Bill shares his “gradually, gradually, then suddenly” philosophy, how Columbus has become a magnet for young talent, and how their burgeoning pro and post-grad group is positioning Ohio State as a key player on the road to LA 2028.

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing national and international meets that saw a plethora of fast swims