Q&A with SwimRVA Head Coach Jonathan Kaplan; Self-Described ‘Swim Nerd’ Has Followed Dream
A self-described “swim nerd,” Jonathan Kaplan has pursued a lifelong coaching dream in building programs and influencing hundreds of young men and women to become better swimmers and even better people.
Jonathan Kaplan
Head Coach/Director
SwimRVA
Richmond, Virginia
- Florida State University, B.S., sport management, 2002; M.S., sport administration, 2004
- Head coach/director, SwimRVA, 2018-present
- Head coach, Dolphin Club, 2016-18
- Assistant Director of Competitive Swimming at YMCA of Triangle Area, 2014-16
- Head coach senior silver, assistant coach senior gold, NOVA of Virginia, 2013-14
- Head coach, Panama City Swim Team, 2006-13
- Growth and improvement have been team hallmarks of Kaplan’s presence:
- At SwimRVA, he has helped grow program from 0 to 550+ members
- At Dolphin Club, he took team from 30th to 15th at Virginia AG Champs
- At YOTA, he helped spearhead program to 600+ swimmers and top 25 in USA Swimming’s Virtual Club Championship
- At NOVA, his swimmers included 16 NCSA, six winter national, one winter national qualifier and set 14 state records
- At Panama City, he built year-round membership from 65 to 250 members, which included NCSA qualifiers, NISCA All-Americans, six high school state champions, 17 NCAA athletes and team bronze medalist designation in USA Swimming’s Club Excellence program
- As a USMS swimmer, Kaplan recorded six Top 10 swims, including nation’s fastest 25-29 400 meter IM (5:04.54)
SWIMMING WORLD: How did you get your start in swimming?
COACH JONATHAN KAPLAN: My sister, Katie, was on the Stingrays—a small swim team in Winter Haven, Fla. I was 6 years old at the time, and I kept saying to my parents, “I wanna do that.” I have never looked back!
SW: What led you to swim at Florida State?
JK: My entire family—both sides—went to University of Florida, so I grew up a Gator fan. My dream was to swim for them. When I was a high school senior, a coach suggested that I look at Florida State. Several weeks later, I got a recruiting call from FSU. On my recruiting trip, I was met at the airport by NCAA champ and future Olympic bronze medalist Stephen Parry. I thought that was the coolest thing ever. I fell in love with every aspect of Tallahassee and have been a die-hard Seminole ever since. While my swimming improved some, I’ll cherish forever my experiences with the sporting industry, access to superb athletic facilities and the friendships made there.
SW: Who were teammates you most admired at FSU?
JK: Parry and Chad Onken with his 12-pack abs! I was the smallest guy on the team every year. In order to keep up with the Olympians we had, I needed to outwork everyone—but I could never outwork Steve. He was a star in the pool with an unbelievable work ethic. Even better, he had a hilarious sense of humor and fun attitude.
SW: You are quite an O.A.R. fan and can shred many versions of their top hits.
JK: I was introduced to them in Tally and LOVED singing and playing all their songs on the guitar. I wasn’t the best singer ever, but I had a blast performing at open mic nights and backyard parties. If I showed up without a guitar, someone would go find one for me. I loved every bit of it.
SW: How did you find coaching, or did it find you?
JK: Even as a 14 year-old, all I wanted was to coach. I knew the times of the best national and international swimmers and soaked up every bit of what made my club coach, Jim Grazier, so special. He was exceptional at getting athletes to believe in themselves—and I’ve always wanted to be like that.
My soccer coach, James Smith, stressed that you are a person first, not just an athlete. At an early age, I wanted to make others feel good about themselves as well. That’s why in college I studied sports management and sports administration.
SW: Rowdy Gaines is a longtime friend and has been a continuing source of motivation for you. What impact has he had on your swimming and coaching career?
JK: I met Rowdy at 8 years old when he attended our team banquet for the Winter Haven Stingrays in his hometown. Since then, he has also been my idol and a great friend with a shared passion for the sport. He is an inspiration for me and many in our awesome sport!
SW: Panama City, NOVA, YOTA, Dolphin Club and now SwimRVA. What is something that you’ve taken away from each of your club coaching stops?
JK: My coaching tool kit is a repository of what I learned from my coaches. I learned about building and managing programs from Terry Maul, head coach of the Area Tallahassee Aquatic Club (ATAC). From Neil Harper and Chris Ip, I learned that you can swim at an elite level and still have fun.
At 26 as head coach of the Panama City Swim Team, I was given the freedom to explore ideas through trial and error—and we always got better because of it. That cemented for me the power of good relationships with parents and swimmers as a means of program and personal growth.
At NOVA, I saw how a well-oiled machine could create champions. With YOTA, I experienced how a large program can feel like a family and that elite swimming can co-exist with creativity and fun. As head coach with the Dolphin Club in Richmond, I learned how to get a lot out of a little. We only had four lanes and grew from 63 to 180 swimmers in just 10 months. In order to balance the quality of the program with the demand from growing numbers, we had to get super creative in maximizing time, given our shorter practices and crowded lanes.
All led to the opportunity of a lifetime with SwimRVA. We have one of the most beautiful pools in the nation (2008 Olympic Trials pool), BUT that’s not the half of what makes SwimRVA special. I’ve been supported by CEO Adam Kennedy, who truly wants to drownproof the greater Richmond area by elevating aquatics in the region. SwimRVA is really a movement. Adam’s support of my vision to have a program that allows the swimmers and families to choose their level of interaction has been the most critical aspect of our growth—and success.
SW: You’ve been at SwimRVA for seven years and helped grow it from 0 to 550+ members?
JK: In the first year, we simply removed barriers that seemed to keep summer leaguers from committing to a year-round program. We focused on making the team flexible and accessible. That alone got us from 0 to 450 swimmers in just one year.
SW: How do you go about establishing a culture for a young team?
JK: In my experience, culture is built around the relationships you build. And relationships are built on a foundation of trust. Nobody cares what you know until they know that you care. So we focused on creating a happy and impactful culture based on strong coach-athlete relationships.
We do not have any team requirements per se. Our emphasis is on creating a fun and athlete-centered environment. Building athlete confidence through empowerment and challenge helps them grow as both swimmers—and people.
SW: What does the future of SwimRVA look like?
JK: Exciting! Right now, I am focusing on improving every aspect of our program. I recently promoted senior assistant, Blake Proffitt, to head senior coach. For the first time in 26 years, I am not directly in charge of a single group. With 25 coaches on our staff, I now have the head space, time and energy to take a more macro look on every aspect of our operation.
SW: There is a unique vibe to SwimRVA compared to other high-power Richmond area USA Swimming clubs. Your swimmers go to national meets and swim in college, too. How do you explain that vibe, and what role does that play in Richmond swimming?
JK: Because our focus is on building healthy positive relationships with our athletes and their parents, we can focus more on the best parts of the sport, like having fun! There is very much a one-for-all/all-for-one element to our swim family that we call the “Rowdy Rapids.” Parents and swimmers are supportive of one another in many ways. We are like a perfect combo of the “swim candy” that is summer league swimming—with the seriousness and potential intensity that can be USA Swimming. We balance it all and allow our swimmers and families to decide on what level they wish to participate.
SW: Coach-athlete relationships are critical. What is the most important indicator that you have built a healthy, meaningful relationship with your athlete?
JK: Initially, athletes learn from the coach. In time, each learns from the other. Ultimately, one hopes the coach learns much more from the athlete. And if the relationship is exceptionally strong, the bond extends beyond swimming into later life events like graduations, weddings and so on.
SW: How and when do you employ the tread-water cool-down?
JK: Years ago, I got on swimmers for not cooling down, even though they were still hanging out in the water chatting. So, I let them drop their heart rate by treading water together in a circle while they talked and bonded. It was awesome! We don’t do it a lot because it will lose its novelty. More often than not, I like to have the cool-down be a reinforcement of a technical component. But it’s a great alternative every now and then.
SW: What are the SwimRVA Rapids Non-negotiables?
JK: 1) Always treat one another with respect and kindness.
2) Always be honest.
3) Always give your best effort.
We discuss these extensively to start every season.
SW: You believe social media is an athlete development tool. Why?
JK: Because I believe in the power of recognition in front of peers. With the increasing prevalence of social media, it is also becoming more and more important to recognize athletes through a medium they know and care about. But social media can be so much more than that! By sharing aspects of my swimming, coaching, mindset, mental health and more on my social media account—mostly Instagram @swimjkap—I have been able to have a larger and more positive impact on a greater number of athletes throughout the country and even the world. Plus, from time to time, it’s fun to post funny stuff to remind everyone that this is FUN and doesn’t have to be serious all the time!
SW: You now have four children. How has fatherhood changed you as a coach?
JK: Literally everything. When I was a young coach, I went to the ASCA World Clinic with Terry Maul, and I made it a point to ask one question of every elite and experienced coach I could find: “What advice do you have for a young coach who wants to be in this profession for a long time?”
Nearly 100% of the coaches gave me a similar response: “Always put your family first.” So many of those coaches had seen their marriages or families fall apart because they always put coaching and swimming first. And while coaching and swimming are pure joys in life, nothing tops being a father—and never will. My approach to coaching has been the same as it ever was. However, having a family with four children means I have to be exceptional at balancing my time between family and work.
SW: You are passionate about—and obsessed—with sports cards. How come? What’s your top card?
JK: I’ve always been a huge fan of all sports and have been drawn to the statistics, the artistry and the stories behind the stars. Sports cards captured all of that. I was fascinated as a young boy with cards and studied the statistics like crazy. I used to go to card shows with my best friend, Chris, and good friend and teammate Dan Ketchum (Olympic gold medal, 2004 800 free relay). Thirty years later, Chris asked me if I had looked up our cards recently. Once I did, I started an eBay store of my own to sell cards and build my collection. Since then, I’ve got some pretty special ones, including a 1932 Babe Ruth, 1953 Satchell Paige and the legendary 1986 Michael Jordan rookie card!
SW: If you were a “Star Wars” character, who would you be?
JK: 100%… I would be Obi Wan Kenobi. In fact, last year for Halloween, I grew out my Jedi beard and became Obi Wan while my boys were Padawan Jedis. I have always felt connected to Obi Wan because he cared so much for others and saw the good in them even when they didn’t see it in themselves—definitely very similar to how I approach coaching.
SW: Match race today: you vs. Piper Price (holder of 54 SwimRVA team records) in a LC 400 IM. Who wins?
JK: How many months do I have to train and get back in shape for this? Oh, let’s face it: Piper would DESTROY me in the 400 IM right now. She is one of the hardest working, most determined and dedicated athletes I’ve ever had the pleasure of coaching.
Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach, golf and swimming writer. His critically acclaimed coming-of-age golf novel, “Too Much Loft,” is in its third printing, and is available from store.Bookbaby.com, Amazon, B&N and distributors worldwide.