EXCLUSIVE: Charlotte swim champ Chadwick puts faith in new roles

By Ham Williams-Tracy

MS Staff Writer

Charlotte Latin School recently announced it has hired Michael Chadwick, a Latin swim alum and 2018 world swim champion, as its new varsity swim coach. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Michael to discuss his new position, return to Charlotte, and next steps. 

Chadwick describes himself at a crossroads in swimming. For now, he says he’s not retired, but instead is enjoying a “new season” in his life with his family. 

He’s not sure where competing will take him. But he’s not ready to give up on the sport. That has led Chadwick to his next calling; coaching. He says this has allowed him to fulfill his desire “to not let swimming fully go, and my own love for Charlotte Latin.”

Chadwick says coaching at Latin presents a chance for him to “see the other side” of the sport. High school swimmers who compete on club teams often exclusively train with their clubs. It’s these non-club swimmers that Chadwick hopes to engage with who “love it for different reasons.”

Chadwick will inherit the varsity head coach role from former coach Patty Waldron. Waldron, Chadwick’s coach during his time at Latin, makes the role especially meaningful for him. “There’s only ever been 2 coaches at Latin before me,” Chadwick said. “I’m very excited to bring that ‘all-in’ mentality towards this team”.

A good coach, Chadwick says, can go a long way to helping athletes overcome incredible challenges. “I got sick a lot, and Patty was always really good at being able to bring me back in,” he says. As a senior, Chadwick recovered from a concussion and, with Waldron’s help, led his team to a state championship, the first at the time for Latin. 

Waldron also instilled in Chadwick an appreciation for the little things. Called “tough nuts,” it was a technique Waldron used to recognize swimmers who maybe weren’t the fastest, “but showed character or teamwork” in a manner that deserved attention.”

It’s these glimpses that Chadwick says are the most important. “Little moments where I got the affirmation of what I believed I was, but maybe hadn’t seen it yet, that’s what really catapulted me into the next step.” 

Helping young athletes recognize their successes through a different lens is part of how Chadwick hopes his swimmers will grow, both in and out of the water.

A new take on swimming wasn’t the only reason for Chadwick’s homecoming. “My whole family lives here, so that was pretty compelling”. Michael’s father, David, a longtime prominent Charlotte pastor, helped foster a deep-seated faith in Michael from a young age. That promoted his next journey with his faith, ministry. 

Describing the decision to get involved in his faith at the next level was “what I needed to do next, it was absolutely right time right place.” Michael is now working as a student program director for middle and high schoolers. 

Chadwick says his faith has acted as the backbone for his life, helping him accept whatever challenges he faces with confidence.

“We can only see so far, and I truly believe that we have to trust the bigger story, and ultimately I don’t think that it is our story alone,” he says. It’s this mindset that Chadwick hopes to bring to the pool deck, creating the next generation of Hawks. 

About Ham Williams-Tracy

Ham has been active in the swimming world since age 8. He is a sophomore at Swarthmore College studying Economics. He specializes in 400IM, 500FR, and 200FLY. Ham swam for the Aquatic Team of Mecklenburg and Myers Park High School prior to enrolling at Swarthmore.