Doug Rusk
Head Coach
High Performance & Senior Groups
Doug Rusk has been coaching swimming for 34 years. Before becoming the Head Coach of SSCD in 2013, he was the Head Coach of Longhorn Aquatics, at the University of Texas in Austin. His swimmers have had success at all levels including National and International, and focus on competing successfully at the highest level of their abilities, and prepare for continued success in collegiate swimming and beyond. Coach Rusk wants his swimmers to set high standards for training and competition, and believes we always need to look for ways to improve. At each step of a swimmer’s career, he believes it is important to develop the tools necessary for future success, and that all the coaches and training groups in the program must be coordinated in this.
Rusk coached Amber McDermott, who at age 16 was the high point winner at the 2009 U.S. Open, where she won the 400 Free, 800 Free, 1500 Free, and was 2ndin the 400 IM. Her time of 8:27.62 in the 800 Free was the top time on the 2009-2010 National Team. At that same U.S. Open, he also coached Samantha Tucker (age 17) to a U.S. Open title in the 200 Free, and Annemarie Thayer (age 16) to a 4thplace finish in the 200 Back. Coach Rusk was also a USA National Junior Team Coach for the 2009 World Cup Series. In 2012, he coached Christian Schurr to a spot on the 2012 Olympic Team for Mexico and a National Record in the 200 Breaststroke (2:12.81). From 1990 to 2008, Rusk was the Head Coach of Salmon Bay Aquatics (Seattle, Washington). In his 18 years at SBAY he had unprecedented success for a team of only 95 swimmers, with swimmers competing successfully at the National level every year since 1993. This included 8 Junior National Champions and nine top-8 finishes at Nationals and Olympic Trials. He was named PNS Senior Coach of the Year in 2000.
As a swimmer, Doug Rusk was high school State Champion for Kennedy High School (Burien, WA), went on to be a National qualifier, and qualified for the 1984 Olympic Trials. He trained under some of the great coaching legends. These include: Doc Counsilman (Indiana University), Bill Rose (DeAnza, Mission Viejo), Jim Steen (Kenyon), Jack Ridley (Chinook), and Bob Steele (Southern Illinois, USA Swimming Master Coach). Doug graduated from Allegheny College, Meadville, PA, in 1987, with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Mathematics. Doug and his wife Alice Shelly have a daughter Maren, 14, who swims for SSCD.
