Eugene Godsoe
Eugene Godsoe
QUICK STATS
- Birthday: January 20, 1988
- Hometown: Greensboro, N.C
- Coach: Tony Batis/ Ted Knapp
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2010 NCAA Champion (100/200 backstroke)
Four-time 2011 Pan Am Games Medalist (4 silvers in the 100 fly, 100 back, 400 free relay, and 400 medley relay.
Two time United States National Champion (50 and 100 butterfly, 2013)
Member of the 2013 US World Championship Team
Two-Time Olympic Trials Finalist, including 5th in 100 back in 2012
EXPERIENCE
Musician, academic, star athlete: these are just a few fitting descriptors of Eugene Godsoe. You may have heard him mentioned by his alter ego, DJ EEGO, or you may have watched him win events at the 2013 U.S. National Championships. Either way, Eugene doesn’t know how to do anything half-way.
From his humble beginnings as an only child finding his way into swimming due to recovering from a broken arm to performing under the spotlight for thousands, this Renaissance man has seen it all yet remains strongly grounded with this perspective:
It has been really humbling. Obviously, I’ve had a pretty successful career in a lot of different aspects, but no matter how hard you work, there will always be someone better than you. Have perspective, take the losses as they are, and keep getting faster. You have to be better than yourself.
This is why Eugene loves teaching swimmers at Fitter and Faster clinics: it’s important for him to teach participants that they can always get better than they were the day before, regardless of others’ performances. This mindset will eventually take them farther than they dreamed possible, both in swimming and on dry land:
I get excited to teach swimming because it’s setting people up for success in the long run. I’ve been retired for two and a half years, and everything I learned from swimming as an eight-year-old up to being a 28-year-old in the professional world has carried over. It may seem like I’m just teaching a drill, but that could shape how this swimmer thinks about working hard and being successful later in life.
Underneath this long-term perspective, Eugene capitalizes on teaching participants the keys to the short-term, daily success. “The two biggest points of emphasis for me are body line and underwater kicking. Underwater kicking is the easiest way to differentiate yourself from competitors. It’s a skill that everyone can learn to get faster, but it takes work. Someone can out-swim you, but if you can out-kick them, you’ll win every time.”
This is the method Eugene took to climbing to the top of the sport – many of his competitors were older, bigger and stronger, but he honed the most efficient kick and body position to come out on top. Swimmers will walk away from his clinic knowing that swimming smarter, not harder, is the key to improvement:
We’ll teach them 30 things. If they take two or three things and nail them for the next year, they’ll be way faster. They need to think about what they’re doing rather than just going through the motions – swimming is more than just about working hard. It’s about being smart and focused.
Spoken like a true Stanford grad.
If you want your swimmer to learn not only how to think and move like a championship swimmer but also learn a champion work ethic that can lead to mastery beyond the water, look no further than a clinic with Eugene. This dynamic personality is sure to connect with swimmers of all ages and talent levels!
