The “sink or swim” work ethic has turned former Woodbury School of Business MBA Students, Jordan Fletcher and Garret Beaman, into successful business entrepreneurs that are doing more than just keeping afloat – they’re taking the competitive swim world by storm with a scientifically advanced coaching service.
Their company, Swim First Analysis, utilizes a data-driven, results-oriented approach to help competitive swimmers significantly improve their time and technique and reach their maximum potential.
“Garret and I are swimmers first, but we realized we also had to be smart businessmen,” says Fletcher. “The Woodbury MBA program gave us the skill set we needed to understand financing, marketing and organizational management and now our business dream is a reality.”
Indeed, they’re swimmers first. Fletcher is BYU's 3rd fastest swimmer of all time, served as team captain, and is a 4x all-conference collegiate athlete with 20+ years of swimming experience. Beaman is a 4x all-conference collegiate athlete, as well, with 20+ years of swimming experience. He's competed for both the University of Utah and BYU where he served as the men's swimming team captain.
Dipping their toes into the rough waters of launching and now maintaining a niche business requires much more than standing at the edge of the pool with a stopwatch. The Swim First process is three-fold – analysis, implementation and perfecting.
“First, we break down the swimmer’s technique & hand force,” says Fletcher. “Then using state-of-the-art Aquanex technology, we compare the swimmer’s stroke, side-by-side, with a virtual model of the optimal technique, developed from cutting edge biomechanics research.”
After the analysis is complete, the implementation phase begins. Swim First uses an underwater mirror, stretch cord tethers, sensitivity paddles and a comprehensive series of skill isolation drills followed by an Olympic-like time trial. The drills are more than thorough using live, underwater audio feedback to provide personalized information of the swimmer’s strengths and weaknesses.
The last “perfection” step is the actual honing-in of what the athlete needs to change. Individual, cue-focused instruction is captured in a video, accompanied by a customized report booklet outlining the swimmer’s stroke phase, research based tips and a goal progress tracker to engrain new habits through consistent practice.
Ironman triathlon champion, James Lawrence, known in triathlon circles as the “Iron Cowboy,” swears by Swim First’s program. "This technology is pretty cool,” Lawrence says. “It can measure force in the water and pinpoint the parts of my stroke that are inefficient. It really let's you see what’s going right and wrong.”
Swim First isn’t just for individuals. Fletcher and Beaman have taken on the challenge of improving whole teams of swimmers from the high school to collegiate level, triathletes, and Olympians.
“We are so lucky to do what we love everyday” says Fletcher. “We use what we learned in our Woodbury MBA program to strengthen our business and our services, so we can give our best to the athletes.” Swim First’s future looks bright with no lifesaver required, as they help competitive swimmers throughout Utah navigate some pretty brutal waters. For more information on Swim First visit http://www.swimfirstanalysis.com. For more information on the Woodbury School of Business MBA program, visit their Landing Page.
