Ath and Rec, Golden Horseshoe Aquatic Club announce new partnership

McMaster Athletics and Recreation is joining with the Golden Horseshoe Aquatic Club (GHAC) in an exciting new partnership that ensures the University’s successful swim program remains competitive and sustainable for years to come.

Under the new partnership, the Marauder swim program and GHAC will operate as two separate swim teams but will share facilities, costs, and resources. The new partnership model will enable both the varsity program and the club to share benefits, while allowing McMaster’s highly successful teams to remain competitive on the national stage.

“This is an exciting community partnership opportunity,” says Glen Grunwald, McMaster Director of Athletics and Recreation. “Together two long-established organizations – McMaster and the Golden Horseshoe Aquatic Club – are working together to ensure strong programs for our varsity athletes and for the community.”

The new partnership takes effect beginning in May 2016.

Andrew Cole, the current swimming head coach and aquatic program supervisor will continue in his position for the rest of this varsity season, but has made the decision to leave his post at McMaster for a move into the private sector. Next year, the new swimming program will move forward under the direction of McMaster Hall of Famer and GHAC head coach Grey Fairley.

“Andrew Cole has done an outstanding job as McMaster swim coach and we are extremely grateful for all his hard work to make our program a national contender,” Grunwald says. “We wish him the best as he moves on to face new challenges and hope to see him stay involved with our swim alumni.”

McMaster’s varsity swim program is one of the best in the country. Under Coach Cole, at least one of McMaster’s men’s and women’s teams earned medals at the OUA championships in each of the previous 10 seasons, and 33 team records were established. In 2014, the men’s team achieved its highest CIS finish in history coming fourth at the national championships.  Cole says he will remember his time at McMaster with fondness, adding “I had the wonderful opportunity to share in the personal growth of some very  amazing young men and women that I will forever consider part of my family.”

Grey Fairley returns to campus where he was a dominant athlete in the early 1990s, winning 18 CIS medals. He is the McMaster record-holder for the 400m individual medley and was inducted into the McMaster Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.

“I’m really excited to be returning to McMaster,” said Fairley, who has been the Head Coach at GHAC since the club’s inception in 2002. “My time at Mac was very successful and fun, and I’m hoping to bring that sense of excitement to the program as we strive for excellence.”

The Golden Horseshoe Aquatic Club is a not-for-profit community organization that is the largest swim club in the greater Hamilton area with over 500 members. Under Coach Fairley, several club swimmers have captured senior national and provincial medals, while several graduates have moved on to swim at the CIS level, including at McMaster. GHAC swimmers have represented Canada internationally.

“We are fortunate to move our program forward with a well-respected and successful swim coach like Grey Fairley,” said Associate Director of Athletics Mark Alfano. “Grey has proven success running a competitive swim program, is a passionate McMaster supporter and alumni, and served on the Marauder coaching staff from 1995 to 2006.”

Similar in format to several successful CIS swim programs, this transition will take McMaster swimming closer to the model previously used by Hall of Fame Coach Gaye Stratten, when he directed both the Marauder swim program and the Hamilton-Wentworth Aquatic Club (HWAC) from 1978 to 2004. “Combining the resources of the university and the club allowed us to reach the heights we did,” said Stratten, who coached McMaster to 15 OUA Championships and is currently the President of GHAC. “It’s a model that has proven successful at other universities across Canada and I believe both McMaster and the club will benefit.”