Anyone who has been involved in the sport of swimming for even a relatively short period will undoubtedly have heard about Swimming World Magazine, one of the sport’s most prominent and highest-quality news publishers.
Well, I have an exciting update: Swimming World Magazine is under new management, and its future looks bright.
If you’re as passionate about swimming as I am and always looking for ways to improve, these changes are worth noting.
Quick summary:
- Swimming World Magazine is under new management with passionate owners at the helm of the operation.
- The magazine’s old archives will be made available, enabling you to learn from the past and modernize old techniques.
- The magazine’s print edition is being brought back in better quality than ever before.
- Enjoy newly structured content in various mediums with future plans calling for the ability to subscribe to topics you’re interested in.
- Swimming World Magazine is for everyone in aquatics, whether you’re a swimmer, water polo player, or diver. It also welcomes athletes from all levels.
- Readers of the magazine will be able to enjoy some exciting new partnerships.
A Quick Word About the New Owners
Before writing this article, I had the opportunity to speak to Jack Hallahan, one of the new owners of Swimming World Magazine. Steve Hasty is the other co-owner. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to talk to him, but I understand he is responsible for operations and strategic behind-the-scenes initiatives.
One of the things that quickly stood out to me about Jack was how passionate he was about swimming.
Now older, Jack is still in the pool, training and competing as a master’s swimmer. At various times throughout our conversation, Jack proved this passion to me as he would seemingly unexpectedly pull out some swimming gadget from within the proximity of his desk and explain how it worked to me.
Jack’s passion for swimming, his competitive background as a former D1 swimmer, and his long track record of success in the media industry makes me feel confident that Swimming World Magazine is in good hands.
With that said, let’s look at some of the exciting new changes coming to Swimming World Magazine:
Echoes of Excellence: Bringing Back Timeless Swimming Insights
One of the things that I found the most exciting was the emphasis on bringing back old magazine archives.
Swimming World Magazine has covered a lot of valuable swimming information since its inception in the 1960s.
While swimming has evolved tremendously over the decades, Jack noted that there is still immense value in old techniques that may have been forgotten with time. Swimming World Magazine can help fill that gap by illuminating some things that may have worked in the past that we have forgotten.
This will be done in a new category called “Throwback Thursday.” I’ll touch more on these categories later.
For me, the real value here would come from us as swimmers, combining this information with science and modernizing it to create further innovations in swimming.
That’s not to say all techniques must be adjusted, either. There may genuinely be some valuable things we have forgotten with time that we can reuse.
Although we know some things no longer work, it will be interesting to dive back in time and see how swimming has changed over the decades, regardless.
A Better Than Ever Print Edition
With the digitization of nearly every platform nowadays, a printed magazine variation is highly welcomed.
Jack showed me a variation of the printed magazine, emphasizing the quality of the paper and printing involved.
The printed magazine doesn’t replace the digital magazine. Instead, it’s meant to serve as a showpiece—something that you can keep out on display—for yourself and guests to flip through and enjoy.
Swimming World will release 8 magazine editions each year, 4 of which will be high-quality, limited-edition print magazines included with your annual subscription. (All 8 will be available digitally.)
There is an exception to this– which is if the print magazine becomes too expensive to produce and distribute.
Power to the Readers: Easily Digestible Content in the Medium You Want
Swimming World Magazine is emphasizing its readers. They recognize that things need to change from what it has been and that the content they deliver needs to be what their readers want to see. The goal is to provide the story behind the story.
In essence, they are giving the power to their readers.
Swimming World will be tackling this challenge in various ways.
As we’ve already discussed, readers can choose between a digital and print medium. A narration feature will also be available, allowing you to listen to the magazine like an audiobook.
Furthermore, the content will now be more digestible and easier to consume than ever before.
The content will also be categorized differently.
Here’s what you can expect to look forward to:
- Motivation Monday
- Tech Tuesday
- Wellness Wednesday
- Throwback Thursday
- Friday Funday
In addition, in the future, you will be able to personalize your swimming content, enabling you to subscribe to topics of interest. Here’s what Jack had to say:
“We intend to provide a like/dislike feature and the ability to save stories in the very near future. More sophisticated algorithmic driven personalization on our website, archive searches, and premium subscription offerings.”
– Jack Hallahan
Swimming World Magazine is for Everyone in Aquatics
As the name suggests, Swimming World Magazine has long been exclusively focused on competitive swimming.
However, Jack wants to change this. He wants the magazine to encompass the whole range of aquatic sports, from water polo to diving to open water. Jack noted that the goal of this is for different aquatic disciplines to learn from each other.
He also stated that aquatic athletes are often not limited to one sport in the water and may want to transition to another. Swimming World Magazine can help bridge this transition.
Apart from focusing on different aquatic sports, Jack also made it clear that Swimming World Magazine is for everyone of all ages and levels. He wants to invite everyone to join the community—not just the Katie Ledeckys and Michael Phelpses of the world.
So whether you’re a complete beginner or an elite athlete, Swimming World Magazine is for you.
Some Exciting New Partnerships
Jack revealed that Swimming World Magazine will be taking over the long-beloved Splash magazine, which was originally run by USA Swimming but was discontinued during the pandemic.
He also noted that while Swimming World Magazine has originally focused on the US market, it’s looking to include more international readers, with potential new partnerships actively being discussed in other major swimming nations, such as the UK and Australia.
The Future of Swimming World Magazine Looks Bright
Whether you’re an existing fan of Swimming World Magazine or someone who’s only heard of them, these changes are something all swimmers can feel excited about.
With Jack and Steve at the helm of the operation, I believe that we’ll see some big things from Swimming World Magazine over the coming years as they make high-quality swimming journalism accessible to everyone.
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