Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Building Champions: Charlie Swanson
Charlie Swanson won gold in the 400-meter IM and as a part of the 4x100m freestyle relay at last year’s Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. Prior to his Pan Ams wins, Swanson was a member of the National Junior Team for two years and even posted a seventh-place finish in the 400m IM at the 2016 Olympic Team Trials – Swimming. The Richmond, Virginia native just completed his senior year at the University of Michigan and hopes to represent the United States in swimming on an even larger scale.
You were a multi-sport athlete. How did you decide on swimming?
When I was a child, swimming was a fun activity, but I never put my all into the sport. I was, like many children, interested in many different sports, but, as I entered high school, the disappointment of not making the finals at my state meet made me want to focus on swimming. A couple of 4:30 a.m. practices a week turned into every morning, and regional meets turned into national ones. It was then that I was able to see myself swimming in college. I was lucky enough to be able to attend Michigan, where my coaches pushed me to set higher and higher goals, one of which being to make it onto the National Team. After the transition to a college training regimen, the summer after my freshman year I made the National team, which then became a main goal each year.
Tell us about the confidence you gained after your performance at the Pan American Games.
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Pan American Games this past summer, which truly opened my eyes to what other experiences this sport can provide. I’ve never been the most confident athlete, but my one individual race in Lima helped to change that. By swimming a top-five time in the world last year, people began to put my name into the mix for an Olympic berth, something that I never would’ve believed previously. While I feel that almost every swimmer’s biggest dream is to go to the Olympics, I now understand that my dream is a possibility. I never really believed in the saying “You can do anything you put your mind to,” but I now have a greater understanding of it and try to incorporate it into all aspects of my life. I am very excited to spend this upcoming year preparing for Olympic Trials and working towards my ultimate goal of earning a place on the Olympic Team and a medal for the United States.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your life in and out of the pool?
Like everyone else, the coronavirus pandemic has thrown me for a loop, but it has also provided me with more motivation than ever to get back into the pool and become the best swimmer possible.
As a college student whose senior year was abruptly ended due to the novel coronavirus, what little time I’ve had away from the pool has been focused on my schoolwork and enjoying and growing the relationships I have formed with teammates. I was fortunate to have joined a very team-centric college program where I learned that working toward a common goal as a group was more important than focusing solely on my own achievements. I have gotten to know older and younger teammates and quickly found that encouraging and supporting one another was an important aspect of the sport.
Now that you’ve graduated, what’s next for you?
In addition to competing at the highest level for Michigan, I was also able to pursue a degree at one of the nation’s best public universities. In December, I will graduate with a B.A. in Economics, a minor in Entrepreneurship, and a certificate from the sales program in the Ross School of Business. My studies have encouraged me to pursue a career in sales or consulting after swimming, with the goal of attending business school. For now, I am fully focused on transitioning from being a student/athlete to a professional swimmer.
Why do you feel it’s important to give back to the sport?
Teaching and mentoring club swimmers is something I have enjoyed doing ever since I got to college and began working at the Michigan Swim Camp, something that has been an important part of my summers for the past three years. As someone who didn’t really start to progress in the sport until high school, I know how important it is to help younger swimmers understand the significance of hard work and determination, and to try and not to be discouraged when they aren’t the best of the best at an early age. I feel that being a good role model and someone that others can look up to is an important characteristic of being a professional athlete and is something that I look to improve upon.
To learn how the USA Swimming Foundation is helping build champions like Charlie, please visit ttps://www.usaswimming.org/foundation.
You were a multi-sport athlete. How did you decide on swimming?
When I was a child, swimming was a fun activity, but I never put my all into the sport. I was, like many children, interested in many different sports, but, as I entered high school, the disappointment of not making the finals at my state meet made me want to focus on swimming. A couple of 4:30 a.m. practices a week turned into every morning, and regional meets turned into national ones. It was then that I was able to see myself swimming in college. I was lucky enough to be able to attend Michigan, where my coaches pushed me to set higher and higher goals, one of which being to make it onto the National Team. After the transition to a college training regimen, the summer after my freshman year I made the National team, which then became a main goal each year.
Tell us about the confidence you gained after your performance at the Pan American Games.
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Pan American Games this past summer, which truly opened my eyes to what other experiences this sport can provide. I’ve never been the most confident athlete, but my one individual race in Lima helped to change that. By swimming a top-five time in the world last year, people began to put my name into the mix for an Olympic berth, something that I never would’ve believed previously. While I feel that almost every swimmer’s biggest dream is to go to the Olympics, I now understand that my dream is a possibility. I never really believed in the saying “You can do anything you put your mind to,” but I now have a greater understanding of it and try to incorporate it into all aspects of my life. I am very excited to spend this upcoming year preparing for Olympic Trials and working towards my ultimate goal of earning a place on the Olympic Team and a medal for the United States.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your life in and out of the pool?
Like everyone else, the coronavirus pandemic has thrown me for a loop, but it has also provided me with more motivation than ever to get back into the pool and become the best swimmer possible.
As a college student whose senior year was abruptly ended due to the novel coronavirus, what little time I’ve had away from the pool has been focused on my schoolwork and enjoying and growing the relationships I have formed with teammates. I was fortunate to have joined a very team-centric college program where I learned that working toward a common goal as a group was more important than focusing solely on my own achievements. I have gotten to know older and younger teammates and quickly found that encouraging and supporting one another was an important aspect of the sport.
Now that you’ve graduated, what’s next for you?
In addition to competing at the highest level for Michigan, I was also able to pursue a degree at one of the nation’s best public universities. In December, I will graduate with a B.A. in Economics, a minor in Entrepreneurship, and a certificate from the sales program in the Ross School of Business. My studies have encouraged me to pursue a career in sales or consulting after swimming, with the goal of attending business school. For now, I am fully focused on transitioning from being a student/athlete to a professional swimmer.
Why do you feel it’s important to give back to the sport?
Teaching and mentoring club swimmers is something I have enjoyed doing ever since I got to college and began working at the Michigan Swim Camp, something that has been an important part of my summers for the past three years. As someone who didn’t really start to progress in the sport until high school, I know how important it is to help younger swimmers understand the significance of hard work and determination, and to try and not to be discouraged when they aren’t the best of the best at an early age. I feel that being a good role model and someone that others can look up to is an important characteristic of being a professional athlete and is something that I look to improve upon.
To learn how the USA Swimming Foundation is helping build champions like Charlie, please visit ttps://www.usaswimming.org/foundation.