Ryan Lochte, SPIRE Swim Ambassador, interview with Rich Odell, SPIRE Co-Managing Director

Twelve-time Olympic medalist and world-record holder Ryan Lochte has two passions: training for the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games in July 2021 and turning SPIRE Academy Swimming into the top athletic training hub (and tournament venue) for the world’s best swimmers.

Lochte joined the SPIRE Institute and Academy team in February to serve as an International Ambassador for its boarding school, camp/club training programs, major events, and recreational aquatics program. A one-of-a-kind campus that features 750,000 sq ft of indoor training and competition facilities, SPIRE is the largest indoor sports complex in North America. It is also highly regarded as a host of swimming events including USA Swimming, NCAA, Big East, Atlantic 10 Championships, and local, regional and sectional meets.

Just how sold the 35-year-old Olympian is on the SPIRE Academy’s Swimming program is evident in his most recent video, in which he is seen touring the Academy’s swim complex. SPIRE Academy features a 10-lane, 50-meter Olympic size pool with 2 movable bulkheads, a 25-yard recreation pool, 4 therapeutic pools to support training and rehab activities, full locker room facilities, and a world-class SPIRE Performance Training Center.

“I’ve been swimming since I was 5 years old, so I’ve seen just about everything in terms of training programs and facilities,” said Lochte. “But SPIRE is special in so many ways. From an athlete development and training perspective, we have the potential to build something here that is totally unique. I’m excited to be a part of that process, and I look forward to helping SPIRE make a major impact on the sport of swimming– both in and out of the pool.”