7A

1) Davidson, North Carolina has two main club swim teams that are an hour apart from each other. There is currently no elite club teams and some athletes are forced to choose driving time to swim vs other activities. Due to a current monopoly that has been enforced on the city by the two teams, it has been difficult for new options to become available for athletes.

2) 

• The who: The city of Davidson, North Carolina as well as athletes and parents located between the two clubs.
• The what: Not enough swim programs in the city to cut the driving time for athletes pursuing athletic competition in swim.
• The why: The current teams have monopolized the area, reducing the opportunity to have other teams expand or begin in the city.

3) This is your 'hypothesis' about the opportunity. It is a statement of your belief related to an opportunity. I'd like you to test the boundaries of the hypothesis by pushing and prodding each of the three elements. That means:

Person 1: Parent of an 11 year old athlete

• Testing the who: “Currently, I hate driving my son 45 minutes to the club team we’ve been a part of. His current coach is one of the only ones that recognizes more fine tuned details. I’d love to have more options similar to that.” 
• Testing the what: “Unfortunately, because there are only two clubs, I feel as if my son is losing time with his coaches. I’m being selfish, I know, but how many students can one coach see at the same time? We are limiting ourselves to this one option because the other club team is set up with even less coaches and the same amount of kids.”
• Testing the why: “Why do you think that this is an issue?” 
• “With so few options for people to coach at, I think it could be the inability to get along with the boss or head coaches, so more people walk away. I know there has been talk of creating a seperate location, but no one wants to take the risk of kids choosing to stay with their current team.”

Person 2: 17 Year old male athlete

• Testing the who: “My mom made me choose between basketball camp and swim practice because we were always running late to swim. My coaches kept getting mad at me, even though they told me they understood. I’m really good at both sports so it sucks to have to decide.”
• Testing the what: “If there were a team in the middle of the other two clubs, I’d go there just so I can play basketball too. I chose swimming because it’s awesome and my coaches are nicer to me, but I’d really like to keep my friends from basketball too.”
• Testing the why: “Why do you think that this is an issue?” 
• “Well, I overheard my coach say one day that our team can’t afford to open and build a new pool. Davidson College has one, but I think they charge to have another team out there. Maybe because my coaches don’t want to work at two pools. Who knows.”

Person 3: 16 year old Athlete

• Testing the who: “As someone who is new to driving, I hate using my gas to drive over thirty minutes to practice. I live in the middle of the two club teams here so it doesn’t matter which one I go to. I picked the cheapest one to help my mom and dad.”
• Testing the what: “In reality, I’d be saving money if I were to go to a club that was closer to me. I’m not really fast, but I think that I could be better if I could go to practice every day, which sometimes I can’t because I don’t have enough gas money.”
• Testing the why: “Why do you think that this is an issue?”
• “I’m not sure. I think the other clubs don’t want more competition. They both have really fast athletes and are town rivals. I don’t think they would like that very much.”

Person 4: 42 Year old City Council Member

• Testing the who: Providing more options for children to do as after school activities would be greatly beneficial to any city. We have two wonderfully productive teams in the area, as well as many after school options for students to choose any sport they’d like. I’m sure for parents whose child has chosen a water based sport such as swimming, synchronized swimming, or water polo, they would appreciate more options in the city for their child.
• Testing the what: “In order to properly examine the need for a new facility, one would have to go through the city. I’ve heard of cities introducing the idea only to realize the need isn’t going to be met in the way it was initially introduced. But, bringing this forward to the city makes them aware that there is room for improvement and could lead to an even better outcome.”
• Testing the why: “Why do you think that this is an issue that would be brought up to the city?”
• “This could be an opinionated concern by coaches wanting new opportunities, this could be parent’s dissatisfaction with how the current clubs are being run, this could be student-athletes just not getting along with their teammates. There are a number of reasons that could all be personal. If it is brought forward from a coach that is wanting expansion for a new product, well, that’s a different story. But it would have to be cleared through multiple people before any planning can begin, which is typically what stops these programs from beginning.

Person 5: 36 year old coach

• Testing the who: “I know there is so much talent in these kids, and so much passion from the parents that would be a great fit into a new program. Even us coaches wouldn’t mind a mix up of things here in Davidson. There's only so many swim meets you go to before you know exactly who you’re competing against and with whom. These parents and kids want a mix up. They want excitement and new options.”
• Testing the what: “I think there are multiple rooms for improvement. I’d love to create a new team atmosphere that would create another form of competition. With a new team we would qualify for grant opportunities that would help build the team. With the ongoing complaints of limited teams, I think this would drastically allow student athletes and parents alike more viable options in the city.
• Testing the why: “Why do you think that this is an issue?”
• “I think that the city is too scared to invest into a new program and have it fail. Why invest in a system that isn’t particularly broken? They have two great, successful clubs with people who are happily employed by them. Why invest into a new pool not knowing the outcome will only benefit the city, instead of wasting their limited budget." 

5) What do you know about the opportunity that you didn't know before? 

I’ve come to realize through the interviews that the children and parents are more impacted than I thought they would be by the decisions of the city. The coach of one of the club teams made a very good point about not wasting budgets, which isn’t something that was even considered in the initial idea of creating a club. Fortunately, there does still seem to be a need for a club to be located between the other two locations due to the children’s and parent’s needs.