Top Diving Achievements
3rd on platform at the 2006 Kaiser Permanente Diving Nationals
2nd on platform and 3m at the 2005 Canadian Cup Challenge
1st on 1m all 4 years (breaking a state record) at Connecticut State Championships (high school)
How did you get started in diving and how long have you been diving?
I started diving at five years old during the summer months at a neighborhood country club. I also belonged to a gymnastics team at the same point in time and continued competing nationally until the end of my sophomore year in high school (15 years old). At the age of 10, I began my first US diving club, practicing twice a week for two hours each day. I continued to try and balance both gymnastics (practicing 6 days a week for 4 hours/day) and diving practice (2-3 times/week). I started platform diving probably when I was around 12. I had to travel 3 hours (one way) to Rutgers University since there were no platforms in Connecticut. I would usually only get an opportunity to practice platform once a month, even though I loved this event the most. When I was 15 years old, I had to decide which sport I would continue with full time and I chose diving. After that long explanation, I guess have been diving for 13 years part time but only 3 years full time.
What diving teams have you been a member of?
Cardinal Diving Club (Pat Pyrch), Southern Connecticut Diving Team (Jesse Cyr), Rutgers University (Fred and Lesley Woodruff), Cheshire High School (Bill Lapman) and currently Auburn University (Jeff Shaffer)
Do you participate in other sports?
No diving is my life! I used to do gymnastics, karate, soccer and baseball during my elementary grades.
What are your hobbies outside of diving?
Wakeboarding, waterskiing, jet skiing, snow skiing, snowboarding, volleyball and just doing the “college thing”.
What do you do between dives at competitions?
It depends on my mood. If I feel like I need to concentrate and get excited for the next dive then I will listen to music, but if I need to stay relaxed and keep my mind off my dives then I will watch the competition or talk to other divers.
What's in your iPod right now?
Well I have over 5000 songs so it would take a little while to write everything down, but I like everything except country, blues and all the other boring music. The type of music I listen to also depends on my mood; it can range from OAR to Akon.
What is your favorite dive to do? Least favorite?
My favorite dive is 5253b on 10 meter and least favorite is 205c on 1 meter.
What has been your biggest obstacle?
My biggest dilemma was deciding whether I should continue gymnastics or diving in college. I loved both sports equally, which made the decision so difficult. I felt like I still had a lot of growing in diving and my body matched diving much better than with gymnastics, which ultimately led me to concentrate solely on diving. Platform is my favorite board and not having platform readily available during high school was the largest obstacle. I had great success on platform with such limited exposure and training time on it. I guess the other problem was that I was such a light weight. I have finally been able to put on some weight and with the additional strength training have gotten quite a bit stronger and been able to utilize the springboard better.
What is your favorite food?
My favorite food is Chicken Parmesan. Honestly that’s all I eat when I go to an Italian restaurant.
 Who has inspired you the most?
My mother has inspired me the most because she has always been a positive role model for me. She has been to almost every one of my meets and has supported and encouraged me through the most difficult times. Her positive attitude and encouragement to strive for excellence has been a constant reminder to never settle but to reach for my dreams. She is a physical therapist by trade and has helped me (as well as other divers and parents) over the years with everything whether it was for gymnastics or diving.
What are your favorite TV shows?
My favorite TV shows are Friends, Smallville, Real World, Real World/Road Rule Challenge and Scarred
What is your favorite subject at school and why?
My favorite subject is science and math. I particularly like Chemistry the most but enjoy Calculus as well.
What are your favorite movies?
A few of my favorite movies are The Italian Job, Transformers, Stomp the Yard, Bad Boys II and Shooter.
What city is your favorite to visit?
My favorite city to visit is New York City because there is always something going on whether it’s Christmas or just a normal night downtown.
What is your most embarrassing "diving moment"?
To tell you the truth I really don’t have an embarrassing diving moment, other than the normal diving stories like my suit falling down after a dive and smacking in a big meet.
What advice can you offer young divers as the progress through the sport?
The first advice I would give to a young diver is to “commit”. Dedicate the time, your energy and really listen to your coach. So many divers just get up on the board, practice and continue to do the same thing wrong over and over again with their dives. Watch other divers you respect, and look and analyze their diving. If you aren’t willing to critique and figure out what is wrong with your dive then you will most likely not reach your full potential, but will continue to do the same thing you have been doing right along. Conditioning and dry land is critical. You must put the time in to stretch, lift weights and practice your drills and skills. Also, what ever sport you work at make sure you are doing it because YOU love it not because others want you to do it. Fear must be harnessed, if you are going to progress. Doing more difficult dives is how you improve. Most of all DON’T GIVE UP. Be a great competitor, a good sport and have fun.
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