Video Courtesy: USA Swimming
After Wednesday’s break on SwimSwam, and subsequent official announcement by USA Swimming, that David Marsh would be the U.S. Olympic Swim Team’s head coach for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Marsh sat down with Rowdy Gaines to discuss his new role.
Marsh has had a long, successful career in coaching, and despite being in the conversation for this position for at least the last two decades, this is his first Olympic Team head coach appointment. He has been an assistant on three prior occasions, however.
Marsh discusses how swimming across the world is improving, and that he believes that the Rio Olympics will be a collision of this global improvement.
He also discusses his role as the head coach and how he can be of assistance to coaches and athletes who are on their path for Rio, and discusses a few specific athletes (including Elizabeth Beisel, who has battled injury the last few seasons).
Marsh also hints that he thinks it’s a good thing that Team USA didn’t have it’s best year in 2015, because he gets more nervous about swimmers relaxing in the Olympic year than those who are motivated off of a poor season.
Marsh always talks about how he balances his professional group at SwimMAC Carolina’s Team Elite with his duty as Olympic Team head coach. He talks about how his role as CEO of SwimMAC, moreso than on deck duties, will be the biggest challenge, because unlike a college, he’s had to build up the swimming infrastructure in Charlotte almost from scratch.
