Meet the Coaches: Louis Johnson
We'd like to introduce a new(er) face on deck for our Age Group and Junior Development swimmers. Louis Johnson initially joined the Virginia Gators of Harrisonburg coaching staff a few weeks prior to COVID shutting everything down in March 2020 and re-joined us on deck in April 2021.
How long were you a swimmer?
I swam competitively for 9 years, from age eleven to age twenty. I’ve been swimming mostly recreationally since then, doing a few club swim meets here and there.
Where did you grow up and where did you swim?
I grew up in Richmond, Virginia, not too far from here. I started out swimming summer league when I was eleven years old, so pretty late. I began to swim year-round for the YMCA when I was twelve years old. I swam for the YMCA of Greater Richmond Tritons until I was fifteen years old, before the program was dissolved in 2013. I then swam my last three years of high school for NOVA of Virginia Aquatics. I competed for the University of Mary Washington my Freshman and Sophomore years, before transferring to JMU to study exercise science.
Which swim coach made the biggest impact on you and why?
Gosh, this one is really hard. I’ve had some great coaches in the past, but I always had a different one every year. I would have to say it was one of my first summer league coaches in the summer of 2010. This probably seems like an atypical choice, but I remember her kindness and enthusiasm so vividly so it’s an easy choice for me. It was with her that I realized that I could be good and improve myself if I tried, and from her I learned what made swimming so fun. I wanted to have that impact on children as well, so I became a coach myself.
What is your favorite stroke?
My favorite stroke has to be butterfly. Not only was it my best stroke for most of my swimming career, but I always found it the most fun to teach. The physical challenge it presents, especially in long course, always appealed to me.
What is your favorite swim memory?
I have a lot of good swimming memories, but my favorite has to be the first time I qualified for summer league championships back when I was twelve years old. I remember the feeling it gave me very well - I remember being so ecstatic I could barely sit down for the rest of the night. I gained so much confidence in myself and it was the first time I believed that I could be good at something.
What do you love about coaching?
Coaching gives me the opportunity to make a positive impact on someone else, something I want to do for the rest of my life. Being a really dorky and shy guy myself, it gives me the opportunity to be confident coming out of my shell and interacting with others in a positive and thoughtful way.
What is something most people don't know about you?
I am a big tennis fan. I love playing it and I love watching it. In particular, I love to watch the Spanish player Rafael Nadal. Watching him play is like watching something from out of this world. His tenacity and relentlessness in competition is at a level I have not seen from any athlete in any sport I have watched.
If you see Coach Louis on deck, be sure to say "hi" and welcome him!
