With the world shutting down, we’re reaching into our archives and pulling some of our favorite stories from the SwimSwam print edition to share online. If you’d like to read more of this kind of story, you can subscribe to get a print (and digital) version of SwimSwam Magazine here. This story was originally published in the 2019 Year In Review edition of SwimSwam Magazine.
By Rachel Lutz
Bob Bowman, the coach of the greatest swimmer of all time, Michael Phelps, seemed surprised when he was asked what he considered his greatest accomplishment. He said nobody had asked him that question, until now.
“You know what I think my greatest accomplishment is?” he said after a pause. “I got to help somebody who changed the way the world thinks about swimming. You know, the sport’s a different sport after Michael swam than it was before he swam. And just being a part of that, that’s probably my greatest accomplishment. Of course, he did all the important stuff. I was just in the background.”
While it’s not quite time to reflect on Bowman’s decades-long career as a coach, we caught up with the mastermind behind Phelps’s 28 Olympic medals. Bowman now coaches the men’s and women’s teams at Arizona State University, where he says everyone is “living the dream out here in the desert.”
“Outside of the fact that it’s a great place to live, and the quality of life is amazing, my work at ASU is just fantastic, and we have such a wonderful environment there that it’s really special,” Bowman said. “It couldn’t be better.”
Bowman said there isn’t much difference between his approach to coaching a club team, like the North Baltimore Aquatic Club, and a college one, like the Sun Devils.
“We focus on the things that we can control, which are, namely, how we approach our work, our attitude, how we practice, the standards we hold ourselves to both at the pool and away from the pool, and the way that we choose to race and swim,” he said. “And then the results, they’ll take care of themselves.
“At NBAC, for many years, the motto was ‘NBAC’s about the disciplined pursuit of excellence,’” he added. “That’s what we’re about here at ASU, same thing. We want to perform at the highest level. We want to go about our business with discipline — and when I say that, I mean self-discipline. We want to be thorough in what we do. We want to care about it. We want to give our best effort. Those are the things that are important to us.”
Bowman said that the swimmers he likes to coach often share similar personality traits. First and foremost, he said, they have to like to work hard.
“That’s a critical element,” he said with a laugh, “because if they don’t, we don’t get along. I like athletes who buy into the philosophy. I expect your best level pretty much every day. It’s not like you can come in and do a good practice every two weeks and we’re going to be happy with that. We want to have a high level every day. The expectations are high every day. So I think if someone buys into that and that’s what they want, they’ll do very well here.”
While his coaching philosophy might not have changed, Bowman said he’s evolved on a personal level. He’s tried to work on himself in recent years, he said, finding a way to “optimize” the way he lives his life.
“Back in 2008, I only lived for the swimming — and, really, for the performances,” he said. “While that is a way to drive yourself 24/7 and get some things to happen, I don’t think it makes you a very happy person. I don’t think it makes you a very fulfilled person.”
Bowman recalled that when he got home from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he said to himself, “Wow, eight gold medals.” While it was a nice thing to talk about and opened up more opportunities for him, he said, his situation didn’t change, and he wasn’t any happier after eight gold medals than before Phelps had won them.
“I think now I’m at a point where my personal happiness level is not directly tied to how a practice goes or how it doesn’t go,” he said. “Certainly I want them to go well, but I think I’m just better balanced in how I approach my life, and that makes my coaching a lot better. Wish I had done it earlier!”
That personal philosophy is something he models for his ASU student-athletes. A lot of the books Bowman reads these days (“Essentialism” by Greg McKeown, “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle, “Ego Is the Enemy” by Ryan Holiday, and “I Will Teach You to Be Rich” by Ramit Sethi, for example) he also lends to his swimmers — Bob’s book club, if you will.
It’s hard to talk to Bowman without also inquiring about how his protégé is enjoying his own retirement. Bowman and Phelps live about two miles apart and see each other daily, Bowman said.
“Every day after practice, I head over there and play with the kids for an hour and a half or so. Then we have dinner together and maybe take a walk as a family,” he said. “It’s actually really nice.”
That’s a 180 from his previous relationship with Phelps, when they saw each other only at practices. (Back then, “I don’t think he wanted anything to do with me away from the pool,” Bowman said with a laugh.)
“The funny part is we talk about pretty much anything but swimming,” Bowman said of their relationship now. “Every now and then, he’ll be like, ‘How was practice? What’d you do?’ and I’d say this, he’d make a comment. But it’s really nice to get to know him on grounds other than how practice went today.”
Bowman had an answer prepped about the potential of the next generation of Phelpses in the pool. Would he coach Boomer, now 3, Beckett, 1 1/2, or newborn Maverick?
“I kind of have 100 percent decided that I could never coach his kids,” Bowman said through laughter, adding that he didn’t think Phelps “would be the greatest swim parent.”
“He would definitely be involved too much — I’m not sure!” Bowman said. “He would definitely have some ideas about their technique.”
Phelps has a backyard pool, and the kids have learned to swim, Bowman said. He’s had to restrain himself from making any comments.
“Boomer can do butterfly, I can tell you that. He does it better than freestyle,” Bowman said.
The youngest Phelpses seem to know a bit about their dad’s competitive history; Boomer watched from the stands as a 3-month-old in Rio at his father’s final Olympic races. Bowman said the kids emulated their dad’s pre-starting-block routine now too.
“They do the arm slap that he does before the blocks,” Bowman said. “They know that after you do that, you’re supposed to jump. So we have to be careful. If they’re standing on the coffee table doing the arm slap, they might be getting ready to dive onto the floor. It’s so cute.”
Bowman has become a buddhist, good for him
“You know, the sport’s a different sport after Michael swam than it was before he swam.“
Boy, is he right about that. I see it in every swim meet I watch, and most swimmers I coach. Our sport attracts a higher class of athlete since Phelps. Very talented boys and girls, who 20 years ago would have played volleyball, football, baseball, or dance, today often decide that swimming is a worthy outlet for their God-given talent. We are much better off for it. That is the biggest reason for the amazing progression in almost every event.
So true! We had some amazing athletes before, don’t get me wrong, but now the quality at the top is so incredibly deep!
Excellent article! Thank you. I’d like to see more reporting in this style where the reader feels like they get to know the person on a deeper level, how they think, and how they approach life. I am working through some professional goals in my work, and this article had some great ideas I can apply to that project. There are some fascinating stories from swimmer’s lives that would make for some great articles.
It’s important to stay close with all swimmer’s you coached.
They are a family’.. Bowman been the only father to Phelps.