It's 5:00 a.m. on a summer morning in Aurora. A man walks alone, shouting out. There doesn't appear to be anyone else around. Is he crazy? No, he is Andy Niemann, nationally recognized USA swim coach, starting his day as head coach of the Aurora-based MACS-Mission Aurora Colorado Swimming swim team. As he marches around the pool, athletic forms in the water stroke their way to wakefulness. Niemann and about 20 of his elite swimmers meet at the pool for 12 practices each week during the summer.

"Swimming is a sport that demands discipline and dedication. While these kids are swimming for 2 hours, most of their friends are home asleep in bed. That's a tough schedule for sleep-loving teenagers," said Niemann.

But for those who commit themselves to this regimen, the sky is the limit. Andy has coached Colorado State Champions, Western Zone Champions, Junior and Senior National finalists, a United States National Junior Team member, and Olympic Trial qualifiers He has coached many state record holders, as well as two national champions and one national record holder.

"We were very excited when14 year old Bonnie Brandon made the semi-finals of the 200 backstroke at the Olympic Trials this year, and when Jess Rodriguez, one of our former swimmers, had an 8th place finish at the trials. About 250,000 swimmers participate in year-round USA swim clubs, and approximately 1,250 of those swimmers will qualify for the trials, so these kids have made it to a very select group of swimmers," commented Niemann.

For many swimmers, though, it will be the small successes that keep them coming back to practices. "Swimming is a great sport because slight improvements in technique and endurance show up as faster times. Kids may not finish first or win ribbons, but if they take off even a small amount of time, they see that they're improving and that the practices have paid off," said Niemann.

Andy, a certified level 4 coach by the American Swimming Coaches Association, began coaching in Colorado in 1989 for an Arvada swim team and started coaching for MACS in 1994. He graduated from the University of Missouri where he received his degree in secondary education and was a scholarship athlete. Andy was chosen by his peers as Colorado Head Coach of the Year in 2002, and has been actively involved as a volunteer on the Colorado Swimming Board of Directors for the past 15 years. He also has worked with swimmers at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for many years.

Andy's early morning wake-up schedule is even more challenging these days as he and his wife, Catherine, MACS head age group coach, adjust to the schedule of their newborn daughter, Eve. It's too early to tell what Eve's best stroke will be but she'll be logging a lot of hours poolside as her parents continue to build a swimming powerhouse in the Denver suburbs.

For more information about all the levels of swimming available with MACS swim team visit www.macsswim.com or call (303) 690-7100.

Susan Bobka is a volunteer board member and secretary for MACS swim team. "Allthree of my children (ages 10,14 and 16) swim year round with MACS and love it," she says.