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***Video can only be seen by United States viewers.
USA National Team Director Frank Busch talks about getting Team USA ready for the FINA World Championships, starting later this week.
Frank Busch Bio via USA Swimming
Frank Busch became the National Team Director for USA Swimming on May 1, 2011. Prior to this appointment, Busch had a 31-year coaching career, leading his collegiate and club teams to national championship seasons.
Busch began his club-coaching career in Northern Kentucky in 1974 and his NCAA career at the University of Cincinnati in 1980. Subsequent to his hiring at the University of Arizona in 1989, Busch went on to win Division I titles at both the Men’s and Women’s National Championships. His club affiliate, Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics, also earned National Championship titles under his leadership.
During his coaching years, Busch was named to numerous coaching staffs for USA Swimming, including Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008. In addition to his contributions to American swimming, Busch has coached athletes from over a dozen other countries to international success.
Busch has been the recipient of multiple coaching awards including United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and USA Swimming Coach of the Year. He is a 6-time NCAA Division I Coach of the Year and earned the Pac-10 Conference Coach of the Year award 11 times. He was inducted into the American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA) Hall of Fame in 2008.
As National Team Director, Busch is responsible for providing the overall vision and leadership for the USA’s top coaches and athletes. He will be directly involved with developing talent, mentoring coaches, and managing international relations efforts. In London 2012, Busch led the successful campaign (31 medals), which represented 30% of the Team USA total medal count.
Busch received a BS in Education from Loyola University in Chicago. He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife Patty. They have 5 adult children.
Correct me if I am wrong- but I am pretty sure Missy and Rebecca Soni made the men’s cut in 2012 in the 200 back and 200 breast, respectively. So I don’t think Katie is the first ever. Am I missing what Frank meant by that??
I didn’t bother to look it up, but they didn’t have the cuts before OTs right? They got those cuts at the games themselves. He said Ledecky is the first to have qualified before the meet, which I guess is meaningful.
Personally Katie Ledecky is my favorite swimmer and I think this is an interesting fact about her, but I don’t really see why its relevant to whether she is close to her “ceiling”. I actually don’t think anyone in any sport had ever hit their ceiling – that would require perfection. I also don’t think Ledecky is at all close to her’s. I am excited to watch her race at Worlds but I believe she will continue to shock… Read more »
Bobo, here’s a rough idea of the questions/answers:
Q: What do you take away from Missy’s performance in Santa Clara?
A: At that meet she was coming off exams and the NCAA season, but the last few weeks she’s been working with USA high performance staff, and from what he’s seen, she’ll be just fine.
Q: Does Katie have a ceiling?
A: Everyone does, but she is first woman to ever make a men’s cut. He has no idea where her ceiling is, but he’s glad she’s on the USA team.
Q: USA Nationals are held the same week. Is that going to affect the field and how?
A: We chose this team a year… Read more »
Thanks for the summary. 😉
THANKS FOR THAT EFFORT
Hi SwimSwam….I am a true fan of your webiste! Best in the world right now, in my opinion!
With the international traffic that you guys must get, I wonder why some of your videos are limited to certain countries. I hope you can find a solution. I feel i’m missing out on some awesome content.
Mel & team – keep up the great work!
Probably not available in Europe to be watched .
I can’t watch it.
Someone can recap in a few words what he says? If it’s worth it of course. 🙂
Bobo, I watched in USA from a French feed. http://sport.alive-tv.com/canalplussport.php
sorry that was meant if you wanted to watch OW race.