Cliff Gordon
Cliff Gordon
QUICK STATS
- Hometown: Greenville, DE
- Birthdate: October 15, 1992
- College: University of North Carolina
- Coach: Bruce Gemmell
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- Junior National Championship Qualifier
- National Championship Qualifier
- U.S. Open Qualifier
- Top 10 times in 200-yard Backstroke and 100-yard Butterfly at the University of North Carolina
EXPERIENCE
Cliff Gordon has had the privilege of working with talented coaches who express their love for teaching and motivate athletes to be the best version of themselves. Cliff says, “Watching them enjoy swimming is what ultimately led me to selecting this career path. I wanted to do something I loved doing.” Coaching has taken Cliff out of his comfort zone; he was promoted to a head coach position after less than a year of experience. He says, “I believed I wasn’t ready for the responsibility of the job. However, I had young athletes depending on me, as they were left without a head coach.” He embraced the responsibility and found joy in helping swimmers reach their goals. “It’s very rewarding to see swimmers reach their goals. I enjoy being able to do that for many athletes, rather than focusing solely on my swimming.”
Cliff enjoyed his own success throughout his swimming career, qualifying for USA Swimming Junior National Championships, National Championships, and U.S. Open. He holds some of the top times in backstroke and butterfly at the University of North Carolina and was a recipient of the 2014-2015 Hill Carrow Team Spirit Award.
Because of swimming, Cliff has built cherished relationships. He says, “I love all the relationships I’ve built through the world of swimming. Most of my friends are swimmers, coaches, or athletes from other sports.” The relationship between an athlete and a coach is a meaningful one, and Cliff wants the swimmers he works with to feel he has their best interest in mind. “Too many times, including some of my own time as a swimmer, we feel we don’t have a connection with the person teaching us. I’ve experienced some of the things that young athletes are going to encounter, and want to help them better prepare for what lies ahead.”
Cliff encourages Fitter and Faster camp participants to have a purpose when swimming, saying, “What is your purpose in practice every day? Everyone should have a purpose or a goal in practice every day. It doesn’t even have to be the same each time! There just needs to be something you’re trying to accomplish that isn’t just completing the laps.”
