Virgen’s View: Peirsol perfect for Newport Harbor

There are several great identifiers that accompany Aaron Peirsol.

Five-time Olympic gold medalist.

World-record holder in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke.

World champion.

Now add another label: high school boys’ swim coach.

That’s right, Peirsol is now a coach, and he’s very happy to return to his alma mater to guide the boys’ team at Newport Harbor High, Principal Sean Boulton said Friday night.

The school reached out to Peirsol to find out what he thought about the idea of coaching the Sailors. Peirsol said he had been wanting to get in touch with the school to maybe offer names for a new coach or to help in any way.

Now he’s helping in a huge way.

“It feels really good,” Peirsol said Saturday of returning to NHHS as coach. “It’s worth noting that me being a coach it’s really about the kids. I almost want to have this article be about them than me. To that degree it’s just nice. I’m really glad I can help. I’m really glad that it looks like that it’s in a positive place of growth. I need it personally to give back, too.”

Peirsol led the Sailors to their only CIF Southern Section championship in 2002. Back then he was balancing high school, with Olympic swim training with Irvine Novaquatics and he also added a TV show appearance.

When he competed with his teammates, he showed that fire that made him a champion, yet he also stayed in the moment and had fun with the rest of the Sailors. His laid-back personality and his humility made him blend in easily and he was well-liked.

“I can honestly say high school swimming was one of the best times I’ve had,” Peirsol said. “It’s not to be underestimated what swimming was to me at that age. There’s just something really nice about high school swimming, the innocence of it and the purity of it. It was some of the most fun I ever had. And now to be somebody to help express that. I know I felt that back then. That’s something for the kids to keep going. I’m really happy I get to be a part of it.”

Throughout Peirsol’s career, which ended in 2011, he created great memories and experienced grand moments. He also received training and methods from elite coaches like Dave Salo and Eddie Reese.

Now it’s his turn to coach. It’s his turn to plan workouts and provide advice to young swimmers.

He says he’ll use all he learned and also blend in his style of coaching.

“I have had all these influences over the years,” Peirsol said. “For me it’s about putting it together. And I know I have a lot to learn. I can only imagine how much I can learn just by handing someone a workout. It’s a very different dynamic.”

Peirsol did not talk about winning championships at Newport Harbor. He mostly talked about creating a good atmosphere and helping young swimmers reach their potential with his assistant coach Pavle Filipovic, who has been in the program as an assistant since 2011.

Peirsol says he wants to help in any way he can and that would give him great pleasure to give back.

“It’s not about seeing how fast they can go,” he said. “I want them to have fun. And to think about what they are doing and engage. I’d like them to understand that that little time [for practice and competition] is their time.”