"I currently swim for coach Amanda as a rising sophomore. I read all these comments when I was recruited by her in 2024. We reached out to her with these concerning ratings by previous swimmers, and she gave us her honest assessment which I won't share here. All I'll say is that she came across honest, and believable. I committed to Tulane after this with the knowledge that I did my due diligence and gave her a fair chance to defend these faceless assessments of her.
Since swimming under her, I've improved in all my events including both SCY and SCM. She trains us hard, which is why we are there. She parts her knowledge in an uplifting manner. She addresses issues and creates a culture of leadership and accountability.
This year coach Amanda won the coach of the year in the ACC Conference. We had the highest finish at conference in many years for Tulane. This was all done by coach Amanda and her brilliant recruiting strategy during the transfer portal and hiring the right staff. This year's team was a team that she recruited the bulk of the team, and it immediately showed results.
She had to make tough decisions to cut her roster and keep the simmers who actually want to be there, and who want to contribute to the success of Tulane Swimming and Diving. It is a great school, with a great swimming and diving program that is still developing.
I do not regret my decision to swim for coach Amanda, and I am so thankful that I approached her during my recruitment."
"She does not practice what she preaches. She constantly manipulates and causes great confusion when it comes to where you stand with her. She will try to convince you that mediocre and bad swimming is something to be proud of because her coaching will not help you reach your goals. Even though at first she might make a great impression, this is all a facade. She will do something terrible to you or someone else but then cry to try and convince people she is doing it from the good of her heart and have people believe she is the victim, it is honestly scary and concerning."
"0 star rating. She’s not even close to being a subpar coach and is extremely socially incompetent. She can’t take accountability for any sort of negative feedback without retaliating against the team. Not to mention everyone on our team has gotten slower under her coaching! More than half of all best times of swimmers who have returned this year from last year (not including freshman) have gotten substantially slower. Many people have been injured due to poor coaching ability. We already have an extremely small team and there are numerous people transferring this year because of her coaching incompetence. She’s getting rid of athletes who don’t stand for her poor coaching abilities and social incompetence. She has pushed many amazing athletes away some Olympians and conference champions so that she can create a mold for a subpar program that she so fits best. Horrible coach. PLEASE RECRUITS DO NOT SWIM FOR HER if you want a normal coach, a healthy team environment and want to get better at swimming. "
"The only word that I have to describe Amanda is abusive. Amanda psychologically abuses athletes and medically neglects her athletes. While she does a good job recruiting girls, she has a difficult job keeping them, as many girls under Caldwell fall to debilitating mental health issues, career ending injuries, or loss of love for their sport. There is no program that Amanda has coached at where there have not been girls severely harmed by her coaching methods and overall hostility. As a coach, Amanda told me that I was not worth the air that she breathed. She made comments about girls bodies and personalities, pointing out that some girls where not as good or as worthy as others. The girls on my team were not transparent during recruiting, so when I started training at my school, I was shell shocked. The behavior that Coach Caldwell exhibits is extremely unprofessional and dangerous. She places her personal desires and vendettas ahead of student athletes, allowing them to hurt themselves in order to make a point. There are many more examples that I could provide of Coach Caldwell's insufficiency to be a positive college coach, however, there is not enough space to write it all. If you are considering a program, as a swimmer or a diver, where Amanda Caldwell is the head coach, I strongly urge you to protect yourself and take that program off of your list. Signing with a Caldwell program is placing your career and health in the hands of a careless individual, who ultimately does not care about athletes and only desires personal gain. "
"Her words were not reflected in her actions. Due to her training methods, some athletes have been injured due to her trying to "be funny". Many have been emotionally spent, and numerous athletes have lost their passion for the sport while under her tutelage. You have a very low possibility of progressing under her instruction, and she isn't a person who you can be comfortable around. She has accused this team many times, she has everyone in her family stalk the whole team trying to find something that isn't there. This team is a great team environment until Amanda came around. She ruined the experience for all of our athletes. Would you want to swim for a coach that already had several transfers in her first year, and some of these girls were top recruits from their classes? She bullies her athletes and lacks coachable skills. Be aware of who your coach will be and know what you are signing up for before you come to Tulane University to swim for Caldwell."
"Know what you are committing to before you swim for Amanda Caldwell. She currently has 5-6 girls in the transfer portal after her first year of coaching at Tulane University, a school that placed 3rd at the AAC championships in 2022 and dead last in 2023 with Caldwell.
Caldwell needs to gain knowledge and expertise: In many people's eyes, a swim coach should have the necessary knowledge and expertise in swimming to help their athletes improve their technique, endurance, and overall performance. A coach who needs this knowledge and expertise may be able to provide practical guidance and support to their swimmers.
Next, Caldwell has very poor communication skills. She claims she is there for you but when you are at your very worst, she brushes you off and treats you like you are nothing.
Inappropriate behavior: A coach who engages in inappropriate behavior, such as using foul language or making derogatory remarks, can create a negative and hostile environment for their athletes. She comments on the girl's bodies and falsely accuses her athletes ALL THE TIME.
Caldwell displays a serious lack of dedication and commitment: A coach who is not dedicated and committed to their athletes may not provide the necessary support and guidance to help them achieve their goals.
Failure to prioritize safety: A coach who does not prioritize the safety of their swimmers, such as by not providing proper supervision or ignoring safety rules, can put their athletes at risk of injury. More than half of the girls on the team now have bicep tendonitis.
Be aware & know what you are getting into before you come to Tulane University to swim for Caldwell."
"Look at her history. All top swimmers transfer. She runs programs into the ground and leaves. She can’t accept responsibility and blames everything and everyone but herself. She highly lacks leadership and constantly has breakdowns"
"Amanda Caldwell is a coach who tries very hard to have a personal connections with her athletes. She projects a very caring and empathetic personality and tries her best to support her athletes. Unfortunately, communication is not her strong suit and her good intentions are executed awfully. Her workouts are average, she has a foundation of knowledge but does not take the time to educate herself and evolve with her athletes and new research. She does not know how to treat her athletes as adults and sees herself as a mother figure. This makes the team environment feel very condescending and dishonest. She is not fit to be a head coach but might be good as an assistant coach."
"I was lucky to have been on one of Coach Caldwell's teams. She always had our best interest in mind and did whatever she could do to keep us all healthy."
"Great coach, knows the sport inside and out. Teaches in and out of the pool. Always looking out for the athletes best interest, even if we don't see it. It dawns on you in real life, the lessons you learn."
"Being an all-girls team, Coach Caldwell did a great job at educating outside of the pool on female importance and ability, however her actions did not reflect that of her words. Many athletes are injured due to her training regimen, many athletes have left feeling emotionally drained, and many athletes lost their love for the sport under her coaching. Sprinters and Distance swimmers— you have a slim chance of improving under her coaching. Mid-distance/IM swimmers, if you come from a bigger club that tends to swim high volumes, you may improve. If you have a minor injury, do not expect to improve by following her training regimen. You will either swim through it or never swim again. The rest of staff, the dive coach, volunteer coaches, athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, and sport psychs were and continue to be amazing and made it worthwhile. The school has a wonderful community as well! Hopefully the new coach will bring forth a positive environment and prioritize the success of the athletes. "
"Amanda is a FANTASTIC coach. She was my coach all four years of college, and she was my rock. She was the person I would go to if I was stressed, overwhelmed, or upset, and she would help me any time of day or night. Beyond that, she is an amazing coach. She is always trying to come up with new activities and new ways to make her swimmers better in and out of the pool. She is the best coach I’ve ever had and was a great role model for me. If you’re on the fence about being on her team, DO IT!
- Kaitlyn S "
"Someone who preaches a lot of ethical and moral values that they hold everyone around to a standard that they can’t and don’t keep themselves. She’ll preach how much she’s there for you and tell you to suck it up when you’re struggling the most. Look at her staff overturn. GA never more than a year and lost a coach after getting coach of the year"
"She is manipulative and controlling. She is always fake and never sincere. Ever since she took over as head coach the team has been on a fast downhill decline. She is rude and awkward and sucks at communicating. She is not meant to be a head coach or a coach at all. Find a new job! Save yourself and DO NOT swim for her. "
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