Myth # 1: The Race Club is interested in only world-class swimmers.

The Race Club takes pride in training some of the fastest swimmers of the world (the World Team), but we offer three types of programs. The first is The Race Club Camp. This is a one-day, two-day, three-day or six day program designed for any level or age of swimmer and customized to fit his or her needs. The second is our Level II program. This program is integrated into our World Team program, yet is designed for the high level swimmer, whether high school, college, post-graduate or master, who wants to take his or her game to another level. The length of this program is flexible and can be arranged for weeks, months or years. The third is the World Team program designed for elite athletes aspiring to be among the best in the world.

Myth # 2: The Race Club trains only sprinters.

OK, we admit our reputation is mostly about sprint training, but we currently have several middle distance swimmers on the World Team, as well as breastrokers, backstrokers and flyers. In fact, Mike Bottom teaches three different types of freestyle, hip-driven, shoulder-driven and body-driven, depending on the distance you want to race. Our campers come from all different backgrounds and ages and have many different goals. Some are triathletes trying to learn the fastest way to get through 2.5 miles of ocean without wasting their legs, while others are age-groupers or masters trying to improve all four strokes. Our focus is to make you better at what you want to do.

Myth # 3: The Race Club trains only men.

Though Mike Bottom was the co-head men’s coach at UC Berkeley for many years, he has coached many women in the past and continues to coach women. We currently have one woman on the World Team and one on the level II team. We are looking for more and if you want to know what a great experience it has been for our women (training among some of the most talented and sculpted men in the world), just ask them. Over half of our campers are female.

Myth # 4: The Race Club is a team.

The Race Club is a club, not a team. All Race Club swimmers from anywhere in the world compete for their own club or team or country or else they swim unattached. By being a member of The Race Club, each swimmer shares in our passion and love for the sport of swimming. The World Team is called that simply because it is a team in training, not competition.

Myth # 5: You join The Race Club by invitation only.

Anyone can become a member of The Race Club. By simply wearing an official Race Club hat or suit or shirt (check out all the new Race Club gear), promoting the sport of swimming and sharing in our passion, you become a member. However, by coming to Islamorada in the Florida Keys and experiencing The Race Club camp or level II program, you become a special member of The Race Club. You become part of our family and are assured of having one of the greatest experiences of your life. Recently, we initiated The Race Club Brazil and hope, someday, to offer the same type of Race Club experience in facilities and programs around the world.

Myth # 6: The Race Club Camp is like every other camp out there.

The Race Club Camps are different than most in several aspects. First, we are very hands on (we never have more than 10 campers in any week). We do not believe any coach can effectively analyze the strokes of any swimmer when the pool is full of them. In fact it is hard to do so with more than three or four in the pool at a time. For this reason, we often break our small groups into even smaller ones. Second, we offer the advice of several outstanding coaches, not just one, who are all disciples of the Mike Bottom proven techniques. Depending on your length of stay, you may experience up to four different coaches instruction. Third, we spend a lot of time emphasizing the strength, flexibility and quickness dryland exercises that are essential to optimum performance. Most of these exercises you will never have experienced before. Fourth, we video all of our campers from above and below water and analyze them on deck using Dartfish software by one of our expert coaches. Fifth, we run our camps year round, so you can choose the time convenient for you. Sixth, our camps are designed for all ages, starting around age 7 or so on up. Finally, who else can offer the environment of two outstanding swimming facilities in the beautiful Florida Keys and with one of the world’s finest coaching staffs available?

Myth # 7: The Race Club World Team is by invitation only.

Mike Bottom makes the final decision about who trains on The Race Club World Team. He will never coach more than 15 to 20 athletes at any given time. All of the World Team swimmers currently training here are in the top 25 in the world in their specialty event. Some of them were invited to come. Others invited themselves and were accepted. Some train a few weeks or months per year here while others train all year round. We have only asked two swimmers to leave the program (one World Team member and one level II swimmer) and that was purely on the basis of a negative attitude; something we don’t tolerate well. All World Team and level II athletes pay training fees.

Myth # 8: The Race Club Camps are too expensive.

When we began The Race Club camps in 2005, we used one high-end hotel and built the price into the camp. The cost of the hotel was far greater than the camp and the entire package was expensive. We have since changed the model so that you can pick your accommodations from a wide range of hotels, from bare bones to luxurious, which makes the entire Race Club experience more affordable. You can also pick the time you want to come, which can mean fewer days of missed work.

Myth # 9: The Race Club experience is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

We have been pleasantly surprised by how many of our campers, level II swimmers and World Team members have come back; many several times. Each time is a unique experience where many fundamentals are relearned or become more natural or instinctive. In fact, most of The Race Club swimmers cannot wait to come back. So if you decide to come down here, do so at your own risk. You will probably be back again soon. But that is our pleasure.

Myth # 10: The Race Club is not supportive of USA Swimming.

The Race Club embraces the Olympic ideals. We believe in training the most motivated and talented athletes together, regardless of where they are from. It is true we have made some foreign swimmers better; some who have won Olympic medals. The Race Club swimmers from America have won 14 Olympic medals (and counting) and some of our foreign athletes helped them achieve those awards. We, like Peter Uberroth, Chairman of the USOC, will welcome athletes from all over the world to train here. It is the Olympic way. We believe staunchly in helping people who want to learn to swim faster or easier, without using performance-enhancing drugs.