Former Olympian Roy-Allan Burch to coach swimming at Lake Norman Charter

Two-time Olympian Roy-Allan Burch is the new swimming coach at Lake Norman Charter School in Huntersville.

Burch swam for Bermuda in the 2008 and 2012 Summer games and has spent the past five years training under David Marsh, head coach of the 2016 U.S. Olympic women’s swim team. Burch swam a Bermuda record in the 50- and 100-meter freestyles at the 2011 World Championships and moved to Charlotte after that to train under Marsh.

In March of 2015, Burch suffered a season-ending injury that left him in a wheelchair for three months. While dunking a basketball before practice, he ruptured both patellar tendons in his knees. That ended his hopes for a 2016 Olympic berth.

Burch said he’s excited to pass along his knowledge to his high school swimmers.

“I’m excited to accept the head coaching position at LNC,” he said. “After learning about the role, the school and the caliber of the program, I knew this would be a great opportunity for both the team and myself. I want to continue to improve LNC’s program and the head coaching position allows me to do just that.”

Lake Norman Charter, which opened in 2008, won the N.C. Wells Fargo Cup for overall athletic excellence among 1A schools in 2013 and the 2A Cup for the Big South conference in 2015. Last season, Lake Norman Charter’s girls finished fourth and the boys sixth at the N.C. state championships.

“We are exctied for what coach Burch will bring to our swim team,” Lake Norman Charter athletics director Matt Schlegel said, “and look forward to his leadership as we continue to grow our program and build upon its past success.”

This story was originally published September 14, 2016 at 11:43 AM with the headline "Former Olympian Roy-Allan Burch to coach swimming at Lake Norman Charter."