Founded as the Amherst Swim Club (AMSC), UB
Amherst Swimming (UBAM) is a proud partnerof STAR
Swimming
UBAM & STAR SWIMMING JOIN FORCES
Two of Western NY’s premier USA Swim Clubs, UB
Amherst Swimming (UBAM) and STAR Swimming (STAR) have teamed up to
form Western NY's most dominant USA swim team.
According to Head UBAM Coach Flynn Burroughs,
“This
‘swimmer alliance’ has been designed to create
additional opportunities for all swimmers on both clubs by pooling
the talent of a larger group of swimmers & coaches over a
greater geographic area. Swimmers from both clubs will have
the opportunity to compete together as one team at meets while also
allowing each club to take advantage of the ‘national name
recognition’ that will result from the formation of the
strongest team in the Niagara District and one of the top teams in
the United States. This alliance makes available all the
competitive benefits of being on a large, powerful team at meets
with all the advantages of practicing in a small, intimate
setting. It’s a win-win for all; the clubs, the
coaches, the swimmers, and swimming in general throughout Western
NY.”
The first two USA Swim Clubs in Buffalo, UBAM & STAR
Swimming have historic roots that extend back to the early
1960s. UBAM, originally founded as the Amherst Swim Club, has
helped to produce some of Western NY’s most accomplished
swimmers including Williamsville North, former State Record Holder
and Stanford stand-out John Hodge, fellow Spartan, Olympic Medalist
Gordon Downey as well as former national age-group record holder
and current Vice-President of SPEEDO Stuart Isaac (Amherst
HS). Recent history has seen six UBAM swimmers claim NYS High
School Championships since the 2000 swim year, most recently Mark
Rubin of Amherst HS and Travis Martinez of Clarence HS.
Setting the bar for team success, STAR Swimming is the #1 ranked
swim club in the Niagara District. The Niagara District is
composed of 78 swim clubs between Buffalo and Syracuse. STAR
has won the Niagara District Short Course Team Championship twenty
three times in the past twenty five years, and the Long Course
Championship Meet twenty one of the past twenty four years.
This past year STAR qualified thirteen swimmers for the Speedo
Championship Meet, four for the Junior Nationals, and one for the
US Nationals. STAR is also nationally known for hosting some
of the countries most elite swim meets. Amongst the national
meets that STAR has hosted are the 1994 US Open, the 1998 US
Swimming National Championship, USA Speedo Championships (98
– 06), and Eastern Zones, (98 – 07).
STAR Swimming coach Rick Aronberg states, “To have two of
the most successful swim teams of all time come together for one
common goal is something to be very proud of. The great
people from UBAM as well as our incredible families at STAR are
going to reap the rewards of such an exciting alliance. There
are many teams throughout the United States that have done similar
partnerships and these teams are sending swimmers to the highest
level of competitions each and every year. I feel fortunate
to have the UBAM coach share the same vision as myself and our two
teams should have a lot of fun and success over the decades to
come.”
The geographic locations of each club allows for
promotion of the combined team throughout Buffalo, linking the
swimming talent from the North & Southtowns, while offering two
world class natatoriums that are accessible to all swimmers.
UBAM practices at UB’s Alumni Arena and the Williamsville
School Pools, whereas STAR practices at ECC’s Flickinger
Center, ECC South as well as Frontier Middle School.
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