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 the area’s most dominant 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; UBAM is 4th.  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 just last week qualified 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.

For more information about STAR Swimming, please visit www.STARswimming.org.  For information about UBAM Swimming, please see www.UBAMswimming.com.