Louis Tharp
Louis Clay Tharp (born 1951), also known as 'Lou', is a gay competitive American swimmer who competed in the 1998 World Masters, the 2006 Gay Games in Chicago, and the 2009 World Outgames in Copenhagen. Since 2005, he has been a triathlon swim coach and has documented some of his coaching experiences in his 2007 book, The Overachiever's Diary.[1]
Swimming career
At age 45, Tharp decided to make a complete lifestyle change. Until then, he lived a predominantly sedentary lifestyle, was overweight, had high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. He hired Total Immersion swim coach Terry Laughlin, learned to swim, and competed in his first race that same year.[2][3]
Two years later, in 1998, Tharp competed in 5 races in the World Masters, and won a bronze medal in the 200m butterfly.[4]
In 2006, Tharp competed in the Gay Games in Chicago and won one gold medal in the 800 metre freestyle, and two silver medals, in the 400 metre freestyle and the 1500 metre freestyle.[5]
In 2009, Tharp competed at the Outgames in Copenhagen and won two silver medals, in the 800m and 1500m freestyle, and two bronze medals, in the 400m freestyle and the 400m medley.[6]
Coaching
Because New York pools were crowded and expensive, Tharp sought a different training location. He approached the United States Military Academy at West Point and was granted permission to train there.[3][7]
Sharing the pool with other cadets, many of whom swam poorly, Tharp noticed one cadet's poor performance and offered basic techniques. The cadet improved immediately and invited Tharp to attend his triathlon team practice. In 2005, Tharp was hired as a part-time swim coach for the army's triathlon team. In 2007, the team placed fifth in Collegiate Nationals and won a bronze medal in the ITU Worlds in Hamburg. In 2007, he chronicled some of his experiences coaching the army triathlon team in his book, The Overachiever's Diary.[3][7][8]
Tharp was the first openly gay swim coach at the US Military Academy at West Point. Despite the "don't ask, don't tell" mentality of the army, it was not a major concern for cadets and never really an issue.[3][7]
Since 2009, Tharp has been coaching one of West Point's graduates, Nicholas Sterghos.[9]
Personal life
Tharp grew up in Baltimore and graduated with a B.A. and B.S. in Journalism from Butler University in 1972.[7]
Tharp is married to Jim Bumgardner. Beginning in the fall of 2008, he and his partner endowed Butler University's first scholarship for gay and lesbian students.[7]
Tharp is a social entrepreneur, CEO, and co-founder of the Global Healthy Living Foundation, a health care advocacy organization, with Seth Ginsberg.[10] He is also the CEO of TGI Healthworks, a firm working with physicians and patients with chronic medical conditions.[11]
References
- ↑ "Overachiever's Diary". Total Immersion.
- ↑ Coronis, Stacy (12 May 2006). "Gay Games Athlete Profile: Louis Tharp". Edge Media Network. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Woog, Dan (2 November 2007). "The Outfield: Giving West Point a 'Tri'" (Vol. 35 Issue 44). Seattle Gay News. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ↑ "1998 Nike World Masters Games Swimming Results". International Masters Games Association (IMGA). Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ↑ "VII Gay Games Chicago 2006 Results" (PDF). Gay Games.org. Ralph Wright Natatorium. Archived from the original on 7 November 2007. Retrieved 6 December 2015.CS1 maint: Unfit url (link)
- ↑ "Results for World Outgamese 2009". Live Timing. IGLA. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Forman, Ross (28 November 2007). "Lou Tharp: Military Man". Wind City Media Group. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ↑ "Mr.Louis Tharp - Swim Coach Of The US Army Triathlon Team". Sable. 22 December 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ↑ "Bios Nicholas Sterghos". Nicholas Sterghos. TGI Healthworks.
- ↑ "Louis Tharp". Global Healthy Living Foundation. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ↑ Cassels, Peter. "Gay Games Drug Testing Causes Concern Among AIDS Advocates". Edge Media Network. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
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