Louis Tharp
Louis Tharp is a competitive swimmer, World Masters medalist and former swim coach of the Army tri team, one of the top performing college triathlon teams in the country.
At age 45, Lou found himself overweight, out of shape and overworked at a job he didn't enjoy. Determined to improve his health, Lou began swimming regularly as part of a comprehensive health and fitness routine. From the start, he was frustrated with the outdated swim training methods he encountered, and felt that tools such as swim buoys and kickboards were having little impact on his performance.
After struggling for six mon
ths, Lou discovered Total Immersion, a unique approach to swimming designed to generate better, faster results than more conventional methods. With the help of Total Immersion and its founder (and Lou's mentor), Terry Laughlin, over the next decade Lou lost and kept off nearly 80 pounds, competed in several international, local and regional meets, and emerged as a World Master's medal contender.
In 2006, during one of his regular training swims at the U.S. Military Academy facility, Lou stopped to help a cadet in the next lane. The next day, there were two cadets requesting his assistance and within a week, Lou was invited to their tri swim team practice. Under Louis Tharp's direction and thanks to the overachiever mentality of the cadets, in 2007 the US Army tri team placed fifth overall in Collegiate Nationals and took home a bronze medal in the ITU Worlds in Hamburg. The team continued to improve, finishing in the top three at collegiate, national and international triathlon events.
In 2007, Total Immersion published Lou's book about his West Point swim training program, "Overachiever's Diary, How the Army Triathlon Team Became World Contenders."
Today, Lou is well-established as a competitive swimmer. He has trained at the U.S. Olympic Center in Colorado Springs, and won a bronze medal in the 1998 World Masters in the 400 IM. He also earned two gold and two silver medals at the 2006 Gay Games, and two silver and two bronze medals at the 2009 Outgames in Copenhagen. He has developed a successful, productive partnership with the Army triathlete team as the first out gay coach at West Point, and currently works one-on-one with Nicholas Sterghos, an '09 graduate and pro triathlete.
In addition to his role as a tri swim coach, Louis Tharp is CEO of TGI Healthworks, a company he co-founded in 1999. In 2006, Louis Tharp also co-founded the Global Healthy Living Foundation. Both organizations work to improve the quality of life for people living with chronic diseases worldwide.
Lou lives in Upper Nyack, New York, with his partner of 26 years, Jim Bumgardner.
| New York | 845-348-0400 | ltharp@overachieversdiary.com |
Louis Tharp is a competitive swimmer, World Masters medalist and former swim coach of the Army tri team, one of the top performing college triathlon teams in the country. At age 45, Lou found himself overweight, out of shape and overworked at a job he didn't enjoy. Determined to improve his health, Lou began swimming regularly as part of a comprehensive health and fitness routine. From the start, he was frustrated with the outdated swim training methods he encountered, and felt that tools such as swim buoys and kickboards were having little impact on his performance. After struggling for six mon In 2006, during one of his regular training swims at the U.S. Military Academy facility, Lou stopped to help a cadet in the next lane. The next day, there were two cadets requesting his assistance and within a week, Lou was invited to their tri swim team practice. Under Louis Tharp's direction and thanks to the overachiever mentality of the cadets, in 2007 the US Army tri team placed fifth overall in Collegiate Nationals and took home a bronze medal in the ITU Worlds in Hamburg. The team continued to improve, finishing in the top three at collegiate, national and international triathlon events. In 2007, Total Immersion published Lou's book about his West Point swim training program, "Overachiever's Diary, How the Army Triathlon Team Became World Contenders." Today, Lou is well-established as a competitive swimmer. He has trained at the U.S. Olympic Center in Colorado Springs, and won a bronze medal in the 1998 World Masters in the 400 IM. He also earned two gold and two silver medals at the 2006 Gay Games, and two silver and two bronze medals at the 2009 Outgames in Copenhagen. He has developed a successful, productive partnership with the Army triathlete team as the first out gay coach at West Point, and currently works one-on-one with Nicholas Sterghos, an '09 graduate and pro triathlete. In addition to his role as a tri swim coach, Louis Tharp is CEO of TGI Healthworks, a company he co-founded in 1999. In 2006, Louis Tharp also co-founded the Global Healthy Living Foundation. Both organizations work to improve the quality of life for people living with chronic diseases worldwide. Lou lives in Upper Nyack, New York, with his partner of 26 years, Jim Bumgardner. |
