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Kansas City Blazers

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Kansas City Blazers offer not only the highest quality swim coaching in Kansas City but also a place where athletes of all ages and abilities can discover their love for swimming.

The youngest swimmers, starting at age 5, focus primarily on developing their skills while keeping it fun. They practice and race with the “big kids,” gradually moving up through the age groups. This structure allows the younger athletes to witness older swimmers competing and achieving at higher levels, providing inspiration and motivation as they envision themselves competing at regionals, nationals and even the Olympics one day.

This is an Olympic year, and Blazer athletes have their eyes on Paris with hopes and dreams of Los Angeles 2028! While cheering and celebrating Katie Ledecky and her teammates, Blazers will also remember and honor six former Olympians who began their journeys with the Kansas City Blazers. Yes, SIX Blazers have competed in the Olympic Games!

The first was Nadia Kruger in Los Angeles in 1984, followed by Mark Dean in Seoul in 1988. Janie Wagstaff brought home two bronze and one gold medal in the 1992 Barcelona Games, and Catherine Fox competed in the 1996 Atlanta Games, bringing home two gold medals. Scott Goldblatt won gold in both Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. Most recently, Shannon Vreeland captured gold in London 2012.

Traditionally, swimming excellence was largely found on the coasts, but in 1975, Veronica Malone envisioned the dawn of competitive swimming in the Midwest and worked tirelessly to create a powerhouse swim team in Kansas. The Blazers’ rising sun logo symbolizes their rise. Celebrating 50 years of excellence in 2025, it’s hard not to believe in and support this program. Beyond Olympians, national and collegiate athletes, this organization has fostered lifelong friendships and countless successes for many from the Kansas City area.

Your young athlete can shape their Kansas City Blazer experience in any way they’d like, whether it’s developing self-confidence and discipline while being part of a team or diving in, dreaming big and seeing how far they can go. No matter their path, we aim to create ONE team, led by a staff that works as ONE with athletes as individuals.