Kincaid Hoffman

Kincaid Hoffman was a crazy child with lots of energy. His parents wanted to find an activity where he could use all his energy, and they chose swim. He started swimming competitively at six years old, and continued for 16 years.

Hoffman was captain of both the Fossil Ridge High School swim team and also his team at Whitman College. His primary stroke was backstroke in both high school and college. “My swimming career was, in large part, defined by goal setting. Coach Morehouse always did a great job of teaching us how to set goals and work towards them. By consistently setting ambitious goals I was able to continually push myself to that next level. Whether it was qualifying for the state team in high school, making the travel team in college, overcoming injuries, or working to be a great teammate, setting goals and

working to achieve them is what caused my swimming career to unfold in the way it did” said Hoffman.

For high school athletes who dream of playing in college, Hoffman advises, go for it. He says college athletics are an absolute blast and was a highlight of his college experience. Someone is likely to make some great memories and build many strong friendships, not to mention learning incredible life lessons along the way. That being said, he says college sports require an incredible amount of commitment and discipline. Looking back, though, he says they was absolutely worth it.

Hoffman says swimming taught him more about teamwork, time management, hard work and leadership than any other experience he has had. He has also built some of the strongest friendships and relationships as a result of all the time he spent in the pool. Many of his teammates are still some of his closest friends and most of his coaches, including Coach Morehouse, are still important mentors. Swimming also provided him with an outstanding community in high school and college where he could challenge and push himself, as well as the opportunity to travel around the country.

The strict swimming schedule taught Hoffman time management in high school and then again in college. In high school, having two-a-days most days of the week, taking AP classes, participating in clubs, and finding time to hang out with friends definitely challenged his time management skills. Those time management skills only got better with college swimming. A typical college day might include a couple of classes, two pool workouts, an hour with the athletic trainers, a lifting session, a team meeting, lunch with recruits, team dinner, and a team study hall. Balancing all of those requirements and finding time to study taught him how to manage his time very effectively.

Hoffman says his favorite memory from Fossil was, “My senior year when the boy’s swim and dive team won our fourth conference title, making us the first sport in school history to win four conference titles in a row.” What he misses most about high school swimming is team dinners with the guys. Hoffman says it was always a blast to go from practice to someone’s house for a big meal the night before a meet. They did a lot of good bonding at those dinners. Also, at the team dinner before their conference meet, they had a tradition of giving each other really bad or goofy haircuts. Those were his favorite team dinners.

Hoffman spent the last year and a half participating in a leadership development program in Colorado and just started a new job at Slalom Consulting in Seattle. Slalom Consulting is a global consulting firm that works to help other companies solve their business and technology problems. Outside of the office he does a lot of traveling, scuba diving, and hanging out with friends.

Hoffman is always happy to talk about his college athletic experience, help people figure out if they want to play at the next level, and figure out which school might be the best fit. The college, and college athletics search process can be difficult to navigate but he is always willing to help out.