A Q&A With Sierra Marlins Coach Tim McCormick
A swimmer since age 4 and now a coach, Tim McCormick is continuing to find success with his USA Swimming Gold Medal club, Sierra Marlins, located in Northern California.
• California State University, Chico, 1987-91
• California State University, Bakersfield, 1986
• Senior program director, Sierra Marlins Swim Team, 2021-present; director of development, 2018-21
• Head coach, Folsom Tigersharks, 2009-13
• Head coach, Foothill Aquasharks Swim Team, 2010-17
• Head coach, Lifetime Northern California, 2017-19
• Franchise owner (In-Direct Channel), AT&T Wireless, 1996-2008
• Oak Ridge High School, head boys’ swimming and diving coach, 2016-21; head girls’ water polo coach, 2009-14
• ASCA Level 3 coach
As coach of Oak Ridge High School, Tim McCormick’s boys’ swimming team won the California (CIF) state championships in 2017 and 2018, and were state runners-up in 2019 and 2020. They were also the CIF Sac-Joaquin sectional champions in 2017, 2019 and 2020. McCormick, who was named California Boys’ High School Coach of the Year in 2018, has coached 58 high school All-Americans from 2016-19.
Q. SWIMMING WORLD: How did you get your start in swimming?
A. COACH TIM McCORMICK: My older siblings all swam competitively, so I also swam for Solano Aquatic Club from age 4 to 11. Then I transferred to a stronger, more competitive club—Concord Pleasant Hill Swim Team, now Terrapins. I was starstruck by what I saw on the senior side: Nancy Hogshead, Pablo Morales, Craig Marble, Brian Jones were just a few great athletes. It seemed like a chance of a lifetime to train with them prior to the ’84 Trials and Games.
SW: You were a champion swimmer at Cal State Bakersfield under Ernie Maglischo.
TM: Ernie had a very calm and collective approach. Everything was backed by data or science. It took a little while for me to adjust to his training. On monthly lactic acid testing days, we established our aerobic and anaerobic training paces. This was the bible. We trained weekly according to an 80-15-5 (80% aerobic, 15% anaerobic, 5% race pace) theory. In addition, we all took Ernie’s Swimming 101 class, where we covered his Swimming Faster book from head to toe. At the time, I was overwhelmed, yet intrigued by all I had learned.
SW: Who were some of your influential mentors?
TM: I had a handful of phenomenal coaches growing up. All played a part in who I am today and how I coach—specifically Rick Waterhouse, Mitch Ivey, Rick Klatt, Mike Hastings, Ernie and Clark Yeager. Rick Klatt had a softer demeanor than Ernie, and was easy to get along with. He always took the time to lay out goals and understood how to push and get the most out of our training. Today I look forward to meets in Clovis, knowing I get an opportunity to see him on deck.
SW: How did you come to end your collegiate career at Chico State?
TM: My older brother swam for Clark (Yeager) in the late ’70s and had a great experience. I knew the program’s success and thought I would fit in nicely. My senior year at Chico, we finished third at D-II NCAAs behind Bakersfield and Oakland.
SW: The Sierra Marlins have achieved USA Swimming Gold Medal status the last two years.
TM: We were fortunate to have a strong senior program and many talented athletes. Rob Collins did a great job of planning for success. The athletes worked hard, and the culture of the group and the drive to achieve was at the forefront of our program daily. Each swimmer had a goal, and we were successful in making it happen.
SW: You founded the Folsom Tigersharks and Foothills Area Swim Team. How has that helped you at Marlins?
TM: Those 10 years working with all age groups was a blessing. Starting multiple teams from the ground floor up has provided me with a better understanding of what I am dealing with today. Also from 1996-2008, I built an AT&T Wireless franchise business with 65 employees and 12 stores on the West coast. These experiences provided me with a valuable platform for success.
SW: SMST has made a concerted effort to grow its developmental program.
TM: Through COVID, the Marlins doubled in size. We were successful in growing both the developmental and senior sides during this time period. We had a great out-of-water plan. Our staff produced daily dryland programs focused on aerobic, core and strength training concepts. We had weekly Zoom meetings with the athletes discussing COVID issues. Marlin alumni Haley Anderson and Bryce/Colby Mefford talked about their experiences with COVID and how they were managing their day-to-day activities. We currently have 270 team members.
SW: The Marlins continue to send swimmers to NCAA D-I college programs. How do you help your athletes navigate today’s college recruiting process?
TM: Over the years, we have developed good relationships with many college coaches throughout the country. With a large senior group, we are constantly in contact with many of them. In addition, Coach Kim Standal works with juniors and seniors, guiding our athletes through the process.
SW: What does a typical mid-season training week look like for your senior swimmers? In-water and dryland?
TM: We train five afternoons (Monday-Friday), typically two hours daily. We require three mornings weekly for sophomores and older. Mornings are set up to accommodate underwater training and power stations on Tuesday and Thursday. Saturday morning is our race day. We usually warm up with 2,500-3,000 yards/meters and race the last hour. We are in the water, training approximately 36-38 kilometers a week. Dryland (25 minutes) takes place five times weekly before we swim. Gym—senior athletes are in the gym twice weekly (45 minutes per), working bands, resistance, core and agility.
SW: You have been the Marlins head coach for little over a year now. What is your biggest short-term goal?
TM: I want to see continued success for the team. We place priority on every level. Twenty of our 21 seniors have committed to swim in college. What we strive for with the athletes is:
• For seniors: recruitment to college, Olympic Trials, Club Challenge, Futures/Sectionals
• For seniors-age group: Far Westerns/JOs
We pride ourselves on a great coaching staff that sets a culture of TEAM first: Together, Everyone, Achieves, More = TEAM. GREATER TOGETHER! – One Team – One Spirit – One Success!
SW: You also had terrific success as the Oak Ridge High School boys’ and girls’ coach.
TM: I coached swimming at Oak Ridge for six years. Four of those six years, I was the head coach for FAST. At that time, 10% of our 100 swimmers were Marlins or FAST swimmers. It was nice to see many of these swimmers grow up, compete against one another, and then finally swim together for Oak Ridge. Many super talents came through during that time. I loved managing the program and supporting the swimmers. The kids made it happen. It was a blast!
SW: What else attributed to Oak Ridge’s success?
TM: Great talent helped, but it took more than that to achieve back-to-back state championships. The entire team got behind the program. Swimmers sacrificed their best events for the team. Everyone bought into the end goals (CIF section and state titles) and worked hard in- and off-season to achieve them. A number of talented recreational and year-round swimmers played a huge role in relays. Great leadership from the likes of Bryce Mefford and Ethan Dillard paved the way and set the tone for our younger talent.
SW: How has the CIF’s decision (finally) to have a state championship altered how coaches approach the high school season?
TM: I believe high school swimming is great for athletes. It provides a fun break from the repetitive year-round culture. CIF’s decision to create a state championship meet has altered the flow of our season and our training. It is exciting, and kids talk about making states 12 months out of the year.
This past year, we trained SCY all the way through the meet, whereas before, we would start training LCM earlier. That change hasn’t had any impact on our summer success. It helps that CIF chose Clovis for the home of these state meets. The setting is beautiful, the pool is fast, and the home team does a fantastic job of putting on a phenomenal meet.
SW: Do you ever see the CIF going to a winter season for swimming like so many other states?
TM: I don’t anticipate CIF changing seasons because water polo is such a popular high school sport in California. As a former water polo player and coach (Oak Ridge—six years), I enjoy the seasons where they fall.
Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach, golf and swimming writer. His critically acclaimed coming-of-age golf novel, “Too Much Loft,” is in its second printing, and is available from store.Bookbaby.com, Amazon, B&N and distributors worldwide.
That’s my college college teammate and he’s a good one! Chico State Swimming lives on!
Tim was a great coach. ??? I was on the Folsom Aquasharks Swim Team (also a huge blessing for me), and it was amazing to train, and later work, for Tim. ? He’s made such a positive impact for people around him. Awesome to see this interview! Keep it up Tim!