We are pleased to welcome Marc Applewhite to the USHPDB programming staff. With more than 20 years of experience as a dragon boat club coach, Marc brings a deep foundation in athlete development, international competition, and performance-based training to the high-performance environment.

Coaching Philosophy: Marc believes high performance is built through disciplined fundamentals, intelligent training design, and athlete accountability. By integrating strength development, technical efficiency, and race-specific habits, they prepare athletes to execute consistently under championship-level pressure.

A five-time Team USA paddler from 2009–2019, Marc has competed at the world championship level and has served on the Team USA coaching staff since 2019. In 2023, Marc served as Head Coach for Team USA Senior A Open and Mixed crews, leading both divisions to historic results by earning the first gold medals in over 20 years and securing the most total medals to date for those divisions.

At the club level, Marc has been a long-time coach with the Florida Tarpons Dragon Boat Team, guiding athletes and crews to extensive gold and silver medal performances at the Pan American Club Crew Championships from 2015 through 2023. These results reflect a consistent emphasis on technical execution, structured preparation, and competitive accountability.

In addition to on-water coaching, Marc is a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with decades of experience in personal training and sport-specific program design. This expertise allows for the integration of evidence-based strength, conditioning, and injury-prevention principles into paddling performance.

As part of the USHPDB programming staff,  Marc is committed to developing physically prepared, technically sound, and mentally resilient athletes capable of performing at the highest levels of international competition.