terry Profile Page
Terry Laughlin
Terry Laughlin has been a swimmer since 1966, and a coach since 1972 and has synthesized those two roles to an extent unmatched by anyone in the history of the sport. Terry has described himself as "a frustrated and underachieving swimmer in my youth who learned to be an overachiever in middle age." In 8th grade, he was cut from his grammar school team. In 12th grade, he failed to qualify for the NYC Catholic HS championships (swimming instead in the "novice" meet against freshmen.) As a college senior, he failed to medal in any event in the NY Metro collegiate championships. Yet, since 2006, he has become the most accomplished open water swimmer of his age in the U.S., completing his second 28.5-mile Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (in a faster time than any other 50+ swimmer), winning four U.S. Masters national championships, breaking two USMS 55-59 open water national records, and medaling in the 3K open water event at Masters World Championships. He has also been the nation's #1-ranked 55-59 open water swimmer for two years.
Terry credits his transformation to lessons learned as a coach and teacher -- a field in which he is acknowledged to be as influential among triathletes and adult swimmers as any swim coach in the world -- and to living the Kaizen (Continuous Improvement) philosophy which is an integral part of the lessons of Total Immersion.
Terry says: "The puzzle of how to make swimming easier and more enjoyable remains deeply fascinating to me three decades after I began coaching. I still wake up every morning with a passion to help swimmers understand swimming, enjoy it as much as I have and improve continuously as a result."
| New Paltz, New York | 1800-609-7946 | terry@totalimmersion.net |
| Terry Laughlin has been a swimmer since 1966, and a coach since 1972 and has synthesized those two roles to an extent unmatched by anyone in the history of the sport. Terry has described himself as "a frustrated and underachieving swimmer in my youth who learned to be an overachiever in middle age." In 8th grade, he was cut from his grammar school team. In 12th grade, he failed to qualify for the NYC Catholic HS championships (swimming instead in the "novice" meet against freshmen.) As a college senior, he failed to medal in any event in the NY Metro collegiate championships. Yet, since 2006, he has become the most accomplished open water swimmer of his age in the U.S., completing his second 28.5-mile Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (in a faster time than any other 50+ swimmer), winning four U.S. Masters national championships, breaking two USMS 55-59 open water national records, and medaling in the 3K open water event at Masters World Championships. He has also been the nation's #1-ranked 55-59 open water swimmer for two years. Terry credits his transformation to lessons learned as a coach and teacher -- a field in which he is acknowledged to be as influential among triathletes and adult swimmers as any swim coach in the world -- and to living the Kaizen (Continuous Improvement) philosophy which is an integral part of the lessons of Total Immersion. Terry says: "The puzzle of how to make swimming easier and more enjoyable remains deeply fascinating to me three decades after I began coaching. I still wake up every morning with a passion to help swimmers understand swimming, enjoy it as much as I have and improve continuously as a result." |
