Maxime Rooney
Maxime Rooney
QUICK STATS
Birthday: April 16, 1998
Height: 6’4”
Hometown: Livemore, CA
School: University of Texas
Coach: Eddie Reese
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
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USA National Champion 2015, 2016, 2019
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Placed 5th in 100m freestyle World Ranking in 2019, 2nd in 100m Butterfly posting time that placed as 4th fastest American of all time behind Michael Phelps, Ian Crocker, and Caeleb Dressel
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Junior World Champion 2015 & Junior World Record Holder
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SEC (2017-2019) & BIG12 (2020) Champion
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NCAA All American (2017-2020)
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ISL Finalist for 2020 Season in Budapest, Hungary
EXPERIENCE
Believe you belong.
It may be hard to put yourself in the same company as the greats. In the swimming world, the likes of Michael Phelps, Caeleb Dressel, and Ian Crocker are essentially immortalized.
Oh, and Maxime Rooney.
At 2019 Nationals at Stanford, I posted the second fastest time in the world, and I posted a time that put me as the fourth fastest American of all time. For me, that moment was a huge mental breakthrough because it confirmed my club coach Steve Morsili’s statement of ‘Believe you belong.’
Sometimes, all we have to do is assume the confidence that others have in us, and Maxime is ready to instill that in his participants.
I’d hope someone would choose me as their clinician because I am process-oriented. I like taking the incremental steps to get to a certain goal, and I feel that as a coach, I would be able to guide the athlete in the best way for them. The three top lessons I want my kids to walk away with are preparation, focus, and execution. Prepare yourself to be successful at practice and at competition. Focus on the details that will help you improve. Always execute a race to your best ability, and then evaluate after.
Maxime is a firm believer that the smallest details can impact races in monumental ways.
One of my coaches always reminds me to focus on my details. At these clinics, I aim to emphasize the little details that can take the swimmer to that next level. Often times, these details look as simple as tightening your streamline a little more by squeezing and pushing your shoulders/lats up (which is forward in the water). These skills have impacted me in the water because I believe I am at the level now where the little things will make the exceptional performances that I am looking and training for.
But it’s not all stroke and technique work; Maxime wants his swimmers to have the mental strength to withstand all of the sport’s peaks and valleys. This, he believes, leads to longevity in the sport–the only way to truly maximize potential.
My own training and racing experiences have definitely impacted the way I coach. I like to think I’ve learned many different ways to approach swimmers when addressing a technique change or maybe giving advice in race strategy. Additionally the mental piece of swimming is very important, so I try to make sure the way I deliver a message is always encouraging. I want my swimmers to believe they are always in the race.
Most importantly, Maxime places personal stake in his ability to coach the younger generation. Believing that it forms him as both a person and athlete, Maxime wants to complete the gracious circle of giving that characterizes our unique sport.
I get really excited to teach swimming because I feel like I have a lot of knowledge to give. Over the course of my swimming career, I’ve been fortunate to be able to learn from a lot of excellent coaches. From the technical precision to the physical fitness and even (most importantly) to the mental game of swimming, I feel that I have a lot I can share to help a swimmer get to the next level.
Sign up for a clinic with Maxime today!
