Mike Switalski is the founder of the Buffalo City Swim Racers (BCSR), now recognized as the City Swim Project. He is an ASCA, Level 4 Coach and a former Division III, All-America swimmer from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Switalski knows what it takes to succeed and is committed to mentoring swimmers to great success. Prior to founding the City Swim Project, he was the head swim coach at Buffalo State College. Switalski coached and mentored the Buffalo State College men’s and women’s teams to multiple semesters of Academic All-America recognition. He established the team as a mainstay on the list. This recognition is awarded by the College Swim Coaches Association of America. He also watched 20 school and more than 20 various pool and college records fall under his guidance during his time at the school. In addition, he coached several All-SUNYAC performers, including Kelly Stoklosa, who became the first female Buffalo State swimmer to win a SUNYAC title, capturing both the 100 and 200 breast stroke events at the 2006 championship meet.

His previous coaching experience is diverse, serving as an assistant at his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, as well as coaching several club and high school teams. He has coached national level swimmers for USA Swimming (National Age Group Top-16, Junior National, Senior National and U.S. Open).

Current Service:

• Commissioner, New York State Commission on Childhood Drowning Prevention
• Western New York Afterschool Network
• General Chair, Niagara Swimming
• Committee Member, USA Swimming Club Development Committee
• Subject Matter Expert, USA Swimming Foundation
• City Swim Project Board of Directors

Past Service:

• WNY Afterschool Network
• Chair, USA Swimming Outreach Committee
• Committee Member, USA Swimming Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee
• Buffalo Public Schools Athletics Committee
• Buffalo Public Schools Physical Activity Committee
• Chair, Niagara Swimming Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee

Switalski has authored several published articles on competitive swimming in addition to giving multiple lectures on the sport, including at the USA Swimming National Convention and the American Swim Coaches
Association World Clinic. He was the only coach to represent USA Swimming in 1999 at the United States Olympic Academy, hosted by the US Olympic Committee. He has also attended several coaching clinics over the past decade to stay on the cutting edge of training and coaching techniques.

In 1994, he completed his Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education with a minor in coaching at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and received a Master's in Student Personnel Administration at Buffalo State College in 2011. Mike and his wife Kim reside in Buffalo with their son Nicholas, daughter Alexandra and dog Bucky.

Coach Aronberg has been coaching swimming since 1991 and has had swimmers competing at the National level since 1993. He started off as an assistant coach for three years under some of the best coaches in the sport and then moved into a Head Coaching position ever since and has earned an ASCA 5 coaching certification. Working as an assistant coach as well as a developmental coach in the beginning gave him the compassion to work with the youngest swimmers and helped develop his excitement for the sport.

Coach Rick is in his fifth year with the City Swim Project's Buffalo Tide. He has nearly quadrupled the amount of swimmers now competing since he took over the program. His swimmers have been improving tremendously and starting to show great TEAM PRIDE!

In 2019, Rick was the Head Coach at Parkland Aquatic Club in Allentown, PA. His team reached USA Swimming's prestigious Bronze level status this summer in which Coach Rick helped one of his swimmers finish 64th in the World in the 400 meter IM for all 18 and under athletes.  He served as Head Coach for Velocity Aquatics in Amherst, NY, where he helped grow the team by nearly 50%.  Coach Aronberg spent 13 years with STAR Swimming here in Buffalo, NY. Fast swimming was an understatement during his tenure at STAR. STAR won 20 short course and long course Niagara LSC Championships in his time and consistently developed many of the area's and country's top swimmers. Coach Aronberg has also coached 9 swimmers to both the USA and Canadian Olympic Trials. 

Prior to joining STAR, Coach Aronberg came from Rochester, NY where he started the Greater Rochester Racing Raiders back in the summer of 1996.   In just a few short years, that team became the top program in Niagara Swimming. In 2003, one of his swimmers finished number one in the world for all 14-year-old boys in the 100 breaststroke.

Coach Aronberg was also the Head Coach of Nazareth College from 1994-2004 where he led swimmers to National Championships and All American status.

In 1999, Coach Aronberg was selected to be the Head USA Coach for the Pan American Maccabiah Games in Mexico City. In four days of competition, his USA Team outdistanced second-place Mexico by 40 medals. In December 2010, Coach Aronberg was named the Head USA Coach that took a team to Australia for two weeks.  One of his swimmers came back winning 7 Golds. In April of 2010, Coach Rick was an Assistant Coach for TEAM USA that competed in Ireland.  Two of his own swimmers also represented TEAM USA where both dominated in the competition.

A native of Fairport, NY, Coach Aronberg is well known in Western New York. He was a seven-time high school All-American at Fairport high school. He went on to Clemson University where he was a 6 time All American in the 500 and 1650 free, 6-time Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) champion in both of those events and was named the swimmer of the decade (1980's) for Clemson.

In 2002, Coach Aronberg was inducted into the Clemson University Athletic Hall of Fame and was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary team. A member of the Rochester Athletic Hall of Fame, Coach Aronberg participated in the United States Olympic Trials in 1988 in the 200, 400, and 1500 freestyles and was chosen to compete with the United States team in the Maccabiah Games in Israel in 1985 and 1989. He won 11 medals, including 9 gold, and was named the captain of the United States men’s team in 1989. He was also ranked first in the world that year in the 400-meter free.

Coach Aronberg is married to Laurie and have two children Jon and Ryan and a puppy named Ellie Mae.

As Director of Business Development for the City Swim Project, Lamont Williams draws on his diverse experience working in the fields of education, nonprofit, government, and over 30 years of successful entrepreneurship to foster funding relationships and grow the organization.  

Prior to joining the City Swim Project, Lamont was Executive Director of Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection where he led staff and developed programming designed to equip and empower low-income, at-risk youth and young adults to become self-sufficient by addressing the educational, economic, family, and social challenges they face.

Lamont’s youth engagement experience extends to a national level through his work with the National Urban League. He was a core member and organizer of their annual Youth Summit and provided key contributions in the development of their education initiatives. He has also been a guest speaker at a variety of events and professional development workshops.

Lamont is a graduate of SUNY University at Buffalo, a United States Navy Veteran, a 2012 graduate of Leadership Buffalo, and a board member of multiple local organizations. He enjoys mentoring and working with young people to help them achieve their academic and career goals – especially encouraging entrepreneurial aspirations. Lamont resides in Buffalo with his wife, Alexandra, and daughter, Taylor.

After graduating from Orchard Park High School in 1984, Henry attended The University of Buffalo where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s of Science in Social Sciences (with concentrations in Sociology and Psychology).  Henry began coaching with the Orchard Park Town Wreckers Swim Team (TWST) in December of 1984.  His focus had always been on coaching proper techniques, training swimmers at an age-appropriate level and insuring that each swimmer felt that they were truly achieving their potential.  During his 33 years of coaching with TWST (including a 4 year hiatus when his children were very young) as both the Head Coach and then as an Assistant, Henry has coached 5 swimmers who have been ranked in the top 10 nationally in their age groups, over a dozen Niagara District record holders & Eastern Zone Qualifiers/Champions, and many Niagara District champions.  In addition, Henry was the assistant coach to Dale Heimlich at Orchard Park High School when the Orchard Park boys swim team was ranked 1^st statewide on two different occasions (5 years apart).  Several All-American individual and relay teams were coached by Henry at Orchard Park.  Henry was also the founding coach for the girl’s team at Sacred Heart Academy (3 years) and coached the girl’s team at Hamburg High School.

Henry has been named as a Niagara District Zone Team coach 5 times and been named the Head Coach once.  In addition, Henry has been awarded as the Niagara District Age Group Coach of the Year in recognition of his outstanding achievements as a coach.  Furthermore, Henry was named the Sports Person of the Year by the Orchard Park Boys and Girls Club.

In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Henry has also served in many voluntary roles within the Niagara Swim League (Secretary and Vice President), Niagara District (Technical Planning Chair, Age Group Chairman, Board of Review and National Delegate) and USA Swimming (National Council on Swimming Psychology).  He has attended three National Conventions as a voting delegate.

Outside of swimming, Henry and his ex-wife Marina are the proud parents of two children, Emma (21 yrs.) and Max (19 yrs.).  He has taught Sunday School and assisted with Confirmation Classes at Saint Peters United Church of Christ for many years.  Henry is a past member of the Orchard Park Recreation Commission (4 years), and a current member of the Orchard Park Historical Preservation Board and the Orchard Park Planning Board.

Alec was a five time All American swimmer in college under Buffalo TIDE's Head Coach Rick Aronberg and has been swimming since eight years old. Alec coaches for the love of the sport and to be a mentor for all kids who join our program. His top goal is to teach our swimmers not just to thrive in the water, but to gain a competitive spirit that will encourage them to be great in all aspects of their lives.