Eric Namesnik
Encyclopedia
Eric John Namesnik (August 7, 1970 – January 11, 2006) was an Olympic swimmer for the United States
.
and 1996 Summer Olympics
. He also won a bronze medal in the 400 IM at the 1994 world championships, and two silvers at the 1991 world meet. He broke the American record for the 400 m IM four times.
Namesnik, nickname
d Snik, swam for the Butler YMCA Swim team, then swam for the University of Michigan
(1989-93), then spent seven years as an assistant with the men's team there under Jon Urbanchek
, during that time eleven Olympians were on the team and it won three Big Ten
championships. He then was a volunteer assistant coach at Eastern Michigan University
for two years before his death and was a coach for the Wolverine Aquatics Club.
He died on January 11, 2006 from injuries sustained in a car accident the prior week. He was critically injured in the January 7, 2006 accident, which was caused by his attempt to pass other vehicles on Carpenter Road south of Merritt Road in Pittsfield Township, Michigan. Namesnik is survived by his wife, former swimmer Kirsten Silvester from The Netherlands, and their two children, Austin and Madison. One week after his death his swimmers competed in a meet that was dedicated to his memory. Club Wolverine of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Namesnik's former club team, hosts the Namesnik Memorial Grand Prix every spring in his honor.
Namesnik is memorialized with a statue outside of the Butler County YMCA (Butler PA) along with his childhood coach John "Pump" McLaughlin.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Biography
He was born and raised in the town of Butler, Pennsylvania. Namesnik won silver medals in the 400-meter individual medley at both the 1992 Summer Olympics1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
and 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
. He also won a bronze medal in the 400 IM at the 1994 world championships, and two silvers at the 1991 world meet. He broke the American record for the 400 m IM four times.
Namesnik, nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
d Snik, swam for the Butler YMCA Swim team, then swam for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
(1989-93), then spent seven years as an assistant with the men's team there under Jon Urbanchek
Jon Urbanchek
Jon Urbanchek is an American swimming coach, best known for his 22-year tenure as the Men's Swimming & Diving Head Coach for the University of Michigan...
, during that time eleven Olympians were on the team and it won three Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
championships. He then was a volunteer assistant coach at Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
for two years before his death and was a coach for the Wolverine Aquatics Club.
He died on January 11, 2006 from injuries sustained in a car accident the prior week. He was critically injured in the January 7, 2006 accident, which was caused by his attempt to pass other vehicles on Carpenter Road south of Merritt Road in Pittsfield Township, Michigan. Namesnik is survived by his wife, former swimmer Kirsten Silvester from The Netherlands, and their two children, Austin and Madison. One week after his death his swimmers competed in a meet that was dedicated to his memory. Club Wolverine of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Namesnik's former club team, hosts the Namesnik Memorial Grand Prix every spring in his honor.
Namesnik is memorialized with a statue outside of the Butler County YMCA (Butler PA) along with his childhood coach John "Pump" McLaughlin.