The Storm

    Kansas City Storm Swim Team
                    by Ryan Carter



History of Organization

1987
    -Leonard Horne created The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Kansas City Swim Team through the .
The swim team has 20 members and competes in 30 competitions, five of them are out-of-state.

1988-93
    -Due to irrevocable differences,mainly due to the success of the swim team in a non-traditional sport, the swim team leaves the funding of the Boys and Girls Club and becomes the Aquatics Blue Swim Club an independent venture. The swim team averages 40 to 50 swimmers on its active roster who compete in 30+ competitions locally and out-of-state a year for the next six years .

1994-98
    -The Kansas City School District introduces the Greek Magnet Sport programs and includes swimming. Mr. Horne secures the job as Aquatic-director and exchange the swim team is inducted to the program in an effort to introduce a greater number of under-privileged children to the competitive sport of swimming. In need of funding the swim team is renamed the Kansas City Cool Aquatics.

1998-2008
-    The Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department offers the opportunity for Mr. Horne to create an inner city swim league in an effort to have year-around competitions for all swimmers. The teams are formed from the neighborhood pools and the children who have successfully completed the Red Cross Learn to Swim Program. The more elite swimmers in this league are offered the opportunity to try-out for the new Kansas City Storm Swim Team. During this period The Storm continues to average 40 to 50 active swimmers who compete at 40+ competitions locally and out-of-state a year.

2008-Current
    -Currently the Kansas City Storm has 30 active swimmers on the roster. This is the lowest roster to date of the swim team’s twenty-two year history. The Storm has lost its funding from Kansas City Parks and  Recreation and the Kansas City School District due to our nations failing economy....

Present Day

The Storm has not practiced this season because we have no pool or any funds....











Analysis of Current Situation


Then
    The reason the swim team was created was to waterproof the inner city children with swim lessons and to provide the coaching and the facility to economically disadvantaged youth, particularly  minorities, with the opportunity to compete consistently at the highest level in a  non-traditional sport.

Now
Even with the lowest roster to-date, The Storm continues to provide a valuable and needed skill to inner city youth, This program is integral in reducing the rate that minorities drown two or three more times than the national average.

    The swimmers are taught the skills of short-term and long term goal setting and execution, self-motivation, adept hand and eye coordination that can be later applied to every facet of their lives. The culture of The Storm allows children who are financially disadvantaged to receive the same quality of coaching or better without parents enduring the expensive fees of competitive swimming while still providing a warm and nurturing environment.




Analysis of Who is Served

The majority of our swimmers are African American youth between the ages of 5 and 18 years of age who come from single-parent homes that are located in the urban core of Greater Kansas City area. Although we  expect to encounter single -parent families we offer our services to those interested regardless of race, gender, or denominational background.Our team averages thirty active swimmers a year varying in age and gender. as of now we have more female swimmers than males; 18 females and 12 males..
We accept all swimmers who can successfully complete all four competitive strokes in a manner that can be demonstrated thoroughly enough to be groomed to compete in USA Swimming Sanctioned events.













Analysis of Marketplace

The Kansas City Storm is unique because we are predominantly a team of color in a non-traditional sport that compete consistently at the highest level.We also provide the life skill of swimming to our members along with the skill of acquiring and applying knowledge learned which inadvertently  increases their social wealth, value and dexterity.
    The Storm is unique because it is the only swim club of its nature in Missouri and the surrounding eight states. only on major cities like Atlanta and Boston have thriving African American Swim Clubs. What makes The Storm even more unique is its ability to grow rapidly if given the proper funding. The Storm can easily accommodate over 500 swimmers in its program. This can be achieved because the inner city is full of children and parents who are aimlessly going about their lives without investing in their future. This sport allows large numbers of children to develop and learn in a team oriented atmosphere but, still compete as an individual. With no limit set to what a swimmer can achieve each swimmer is pushed to believe that they are the next Olympian or the Next Lawyer or Doctor. Our Philosophy is that once you stop moving towards greatness, you drown in your wake....






























Financial  History

1988-
    Coach Leonard Horne is paid $18,500 by the Boys and Girls Girls Club Of Greater Kansas City to create a swim team. He raises $20,000 in one season and takes the swim team of 20 to Florida to compete in a local meet and to Disney World. When he returns the boys and girls and Club he is returns to an empty pool and a lettter stating he has been terminated....

1989-93
    Coach Leonard Horne creates the Aquatics Blue Swim Club an independent team comprised of the previous swimmers with some new additions. Mr. Horne operates the team without a team budget, a coaching salary nor pool rental fees. He estimated that he spent $24,000 a year to to keep the team running over the next four years.

1994-98
     The Kansas City School District offers Mr. Horne a salaried position as Aquatic Director of the city wide Magnet Program. The Position pays $34,00o a year with benefits. The team is granted the privilege of practicing at the newly renovates Olympic sized pool at Central High School for free. He estimated he spends $15,000 in competition fees and travel expenses.

1998-2008
    The Kansas City Parks and Recreation department offers him a salaried position as Recreation Leader to develop and orchestrate a summer swim team league amongst the neighborhood pools who have recently certified swimmers through the Red Cross program for an additional $34,000 a year. He was still being paid through the KCMSD at $36,000 a year with a total income of $80,000 a year. Note; both institutions were aware of this agreement.it was accepted because  of his work ethic and the constant financial support his growing team and the new aquatic community it gave birth too. He estimates that the team spent $27,000 a year in equipment, competition fees and traveling expenses.

2008-Currently
    Without for warning or notice,  the KCMSD notified Mr.  Horne could continue practicing at Central High School if he could pay the pool rental fees, and his position as Aquatic Director had been retired due to lack of funds. Within months the KCPR also informs Mr. Horne that it has retired his position as Recreation Leader. Currently the team is in danger of becoming a great memory. Mr. Horne operates the team out of his savings. He estimated that he had spent $15,000 since June of 2008 to keep the The Storm afloat.










List of Current and Long Range Needs

1. Funding for Pool Rental and Practice Facility Fees-
    A. $16,000 a season
    B. $32,000 a year

2. Funding of Equipment, Uniforms, and Supplies.
    A.$10,000 a season
    B.$20,000 a year

3. Funding for Coaching Staff
    A. Head Coach-$25,000 a season=$50,000 a year
    B. Assistant Head Coaches $20,000 a season=$40,000 a year
    C.$130,000 for staff

4.Funding for event fees and travel expenses for entire team...
    A. Local Meets=$18,000
    B. out-of-State=$40,000



Personnel

Board of Directors
Leaonard Horne
Larice McDaniels,
Ryan Carter
Warren Watlkins
Riza Carter

Coaching Staff
Head Coach-Leaonard Horne
Assistant Head Coaches-Warren Watkins, Ryan Carter