University of Southern Indiana
NCAA DII • OVC
Date: November 23, 2025
Would Recommend
Tags
Our son has always been easily motivated and enthusiastic about swimming since 3 years of age. He has always been a good student, a bit of an over achiever, and enjoys being challenged. We never could have imagined the complete 180 we witnessed when he joined Coach Kainer's program. After only one season, he had completely lost his excitement for the sport and competing and worse more, the bad habits he developed under Coach Kainer's 'watchful eye' both in the pool and classroom were just as damaging. Early on, we attempted to get involved and support USI's swim program where we were met with misinformation, delayed responses, and half-hearted apologies or excuses. At first, we assumed between a new college environment and new freedom, our son had just developed different interests outside the pool. However, after we started asking more questions, looking at stats and schedules, and speaking with other parents whose athletes were no longer swimming or their swimmer shared a lot of the same experiences and feelings as our son, we began to worry more. We learned coach oversaw practices rather than offering any instruction and did not challenge or better their abilities. Fundamentals like technique focus, underwaters and stations commonly fell to the wayside of garbage yardage and practices commonly cancelled or let out early in and off-season. He often interacted with his female swimmers a little too closely as well. There seemed to be a real aversion to investing time and energy in athletes individually like he insisted was so important to us in order to 'build relationships and bonds to support a healthy team culture'. Instead we watched meet after meet, coach's favorites getting guidance and encouragement and the remaining athletes pitted against one another competing not against other teams but against one another for his attention and praise. Teammates constantly requested study help to keep grades up without response. Excuses were commonly made for some student athletes and not others who found themselves in trouble academically and extra-curricularly on repeated occasions. Team bonding was non-existent. Worse more is that we have kept an eye on this program's progress and, as the school gains traction and numbers with more parents starstruck with the idea of their son or daughter being a D1 student-athlete, this coach continues with his fast talk, empty promises and more and more swimmers get recruited, have a good freshman season from all the hard work they put in to GET recruited to a good school and are forgotten about to the next set of shiny hopefuls that take their places. Do yourself and your child a favor and go with an established program. This coach is definitely one of those 'if it seems to be too good to be true', it is!