Chelsea Piers Aquatic Club (CPAC) has been an excellent swim club in the Stamford, CT area for many years.  Over the past year and a half, however, the club has suffered from inconsistent leadership.  In the spring of 2021 Doug Lennox - former Olympian, 5-time All-American and 2-time Academic All-American at Princeton - was named head coach.  After less than a year, the club decided to let him go.  It has become clear that the decision was made after a survey was sent to select parents rather than the entire swim community. 

An organization like CPAC should pride itself in a fair and inclusive process.  By not ensuring the voices of the many were heard, they took drastic action based on a few loud parents. 

We want to ensure that all parents and athletes have a voice.  The overwhelming feedback on coach Doug is positive.  Any concerns could have been addressed with minor tweaks, rather than disturbing the entire program.  Our kids have already suffered from all of the COVID changes, and without having a trusting relationship with their coaches we are setting them up to fail.  Doug stepped into a role with a full roster of new coaches and wasn't given more than a few months to work through the issues. 

We are asking that CPAC reinstate Doug and establish a fair and inclusive process for feedback from all families. 

Some of the messages gathered from an informal poll from parents and swimmers were:

"My daughter says he is the best coaches she has had because he gives individualized instruction to the swimmers...i am concerned about the consequences of changing swim coaches, let alone the head swim coach, on the swimmers"

"He has been so positive and has made my child an all around better swimmer...We came to Chelsea 2 years ago because we loved the coaches as well as the program.  These kids have had so many changes.  The key to success in swimming is consistency, starting from the coaching staff"

"I have been swimming for over 6 years of my life.  I have been on 2 club teams...when I came to CPAC I got so much technique.  I was improving so much, but suddenly all my coaches left.  I was upset and I didn't feel like swimming anymore.  Once I started practicing with Doug I regained my love for swimming that I once had"

"Doug is an amazing coach.  he has focused on us individually and as a team.  he has helped each of us realize our potential.  I personally was never good at springs.  Doug was my first coach who paid enough attention to realize that my swim style was perfect for distance"