Opening Doors for the Next Generation of Swim Coaches: Ariel Hodges on ASCA 30 Under 30

For a young swim coach, walking into a room filled with some of the most accomplished people in the sport can be intimidating.

Who do you introduce yourself to? How do you start the conversation? And how do you turn a few days at a conference into relationships that could influence the rest of your career?

Live from the 2026 ASCA World Clinic, the Business of Swimming sat down with Ariel Hodges from the American Swimming Coaches Association to talk about the ASCA 30 Under 30 program and how it is helping the next generation of coaches build connections, confidence, and community within the sport.

For Ariel, the mission is personal.

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Giving Young Coaches the Support She Wishes She Had

Ariel remembers what it felt like to be a young coach herself.

Getting onto the pool deck and walking through the door could be nerve-racking. Now, through her work with ASCA’s 30 Under 30 program, she has an opportunity to make that experience a little easier for the coaches coming behind her.

At the World Clinic, that means much more than simply bringing a group of young coaches together.

Ariel gets to introduce them to accomplished coaches, industry professionals, vendors, and other people throughout the swimming community.

It’s the type of access that can change the trajectory of a young coach’s career.

And it’s something Ariel wishes she had when she was starting out.

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“Put Yourself Out There”

One of Ariel’s biggest messages to the 30 Under 30 class is simple:

Put yourself out there.

At the beginning of the World Clinic, she holds an introductory meeting and encourages the group to take advantage of the opportunity in front of them.

They have a 30 Under 30 badge around their neck for a reason.

Walk up to people. Introduce yourself. Ask questions. Build relationships.

For coaches who are early in their careers, that can require stepping outside of their comfort zones. But Ariel says the swimming community is often incredibly receptive to those conversations.

The World Clinic brings a remarkable collection of experience together in one place. The challenge is making sure young coaches have the confidence to access it.

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More Than One Type of Young Coach

ASCA’s 30 Under 30 program also isn’t designed around a single definition of what an emerging coach looks like.

The class can include age-group coaches, high school coaches, college coaches, senior coaches, club founders, and coaches who already have eight or nine years of experience.

That diversity is intentional.

ASCA wants different ages, experiences, backgrounds, and coaching environments represented within the group.

Each coach brings something different to the table.

That creates another layer of value: the participants aren’t only learning from established leaders in swimming. They’re learning from each other.

A coach working with age-group swimmers may approach the sport differently from someone working in college swimming. A young club founder may be confronting entirely different challenges than an assistant coach within an established organization.

Put those perspectives together, and the group itself becomes a professional network.

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Making the World Clinic Less Intimidating

Industry conferences can be incredibly valuable, but simply putting talented people in the same building doesn’t guarantee meaningful connections.

Someone has to help open the door.

That’s one of the most important roles Ariel plays with the 30 Under 30 group.

Instead of young coaches walking around hoping to accidentally meet the right person, they have someone actively encouraging introductions and helping them navigate the experience.

That can make a massive event feel much smaller.

And for a young coach, one introduction can matter.

It could lead to a mentor, a new idea, a future job opportunity, a professional relationship, or simply the confidence to introduce yourself to the next person.

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Creating a Pivot Point in a Coaching Career

The impact of 30 Under 30 isn’t necessarily something that can be measured during one World Clinic.

The real value may appear years later.

A coach meets someone who becomes a mentor. Two members of the class stay connected and exchange ideas throughout their careers. Someone discovers a different area of the sport they hadn’t considered before. Another coach leaves the conference with greater confidence in where their career can go.

Those moments compound.

That’s why programs like 30 Under 30 matter.

Swimming doesn’t only need to develop better athletes. It needs to develop, connect, and retain talented coaches who can become the next generation of leaders in the sport.

For Ariel, helping make those connections is an opportunity to give young coaches something she would have valued herself.

And for the coaches selected to participate, the message is straightforward:

Take advantage of it.

Walk up to people. Put yourself out there. Build relationships.

You never know which conversation might change your career.