Shea Davisson was recently named the new Head Coach for the Women’s Swimming and Diving team. TDP was lucky enough to get a Q and A session with Davisson to talk about her new head coaching role:
TDP: How long have you been involved with coaching?
Davisson: “I have been coaching swimming in some capacity for about 8 years, and this will be my 6th college season. Most recently, I was the Head Coach at Olivet College in Michigan. I was there for two years. Before that, I was at Southwestern University in Texas as an assistant coach for three years.”
TDP: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from coaching? What is your coaching philosophy?
Davisson: “The most important thing I’ve learned from coaching is patience. Patience and communication. You have to be patient with people and you have to make sure everyone is on the same page and communicate clearly with them. You also learn how everyone communicates differently and how to interact with each person as an individual. I want to be able to build a program where student athletes can excel in the classroom. I want a program that stresses daily improvement. One that encourages diversity and confidence building. And one that’s fun, but purposeful.”
TDP: What is your favorite thing about coaching?
Davisson: “My favorite thing about coaching is that I always get to be a part of a team. That’s what college swimming for me was about when I was a swimmer. The sport is so much more than people think it is. It’s not an individual sport, it’s a team sport. I really enjoy that aspect about it, and also I just like seeing people grow from a freshman to a senior and keeping in touch with them until they’re actually adults.”
TDP: Why did you choose to come to DePauw?
Davisson: “The name of DePauw, in the swimming world, is known. Historically, it’s been an extremely strong program on both sides for a very long time. Also, academically it’s very well known. It’s a new challenge for me now that I will only be coaching a women’s team. I have one team, and they’ve got a lot of talent. So, I could get an opportunity to be a part of something really great.”
TDP: Do you have any current goals set for the upcoming season?
Davisson: “The easy answer would be continue to get third at Conference. Hopefully, we’re going increase the total amount of points that we score at conference. Really, for me, the big thing is continuing the tradition that has already been established, continuing the team comradery and team chemistry that’s already been established.”