USA Diving

KUNKEL USES NURSE EXPERIENCE IN QUEST FOR OLYMPIC GOLD

August 25, 2004

ATHENS, Greece – Rachelle Kunkel has used her experience of working as nurse in labor and delivery to help her in her quest for gold at the Olympics.

Kunkel grew up in West Valley City, Utah, but now lives, works and trains in Los Angeles, Calif. On Wednesday afternoon, she got one step closer to possibly standing on the medal stand on Thursday night when the women’s 3-meter springboard competition comes to a close. She finished 12th in the preliminary round with 294.75 points on five dives.

“I thought I started out really strong and that was my plan,” Kunkel said. “I just wanted to be steady and do what I do in practice. Those first two dives were really important for me and they were confidence boosters.”

Competing at the Olympics can be stressful in and of itself but Kunkel relies on skills she has acquired as a nurse to control the stress in a productive manner.

“It (being a nurse and an Olympic diver) is pretty similar as far as the stress goes,” Kunkel said. “Sometimes it can be very stressful when a baby or mom is in trouble and for the most part you have to be the one that is calm on the surface and give support to the family. It is a really important as a nurse because you are the one in most contact with the patients and they rely on you for strength, faith and guidance. It is very similar to the Olympics because you feel a lot of stress here. You have to grab hold of it and just control it the best you can.”

Kunkel was very consistent on her first two dives scoring 63 on both. She faltered a little on her third dive, a reverse 2 1⁄2 somersault, which she says is either a hit or miss dive for her. She recorded only 41.40 points.

It was a tough day for Kimiko Soldati of Magnolia, Texas, who finished 21st with 252.36 points. She fell short of qualifying for the semifinal round as only the top 18 from preliminaries advance.

Soldati, who has been plagued with injuries the majority of her career, started out a little shaky but fought back to finish strong. Since Olympic Trials in June, she has been battling a nagging shoulder injury that seemed to get worse as the Olympics drew closer.

“It (her Olympic experience) wasn’t what I pictured it or imagined it would be,” Soldati said. “It is disappointing but given the circumstances and the lack of training that I have been able to do because of my shoulder, I went out and gave it my all. I left my heart out there and didn’t leave anything behind. I never gave up throughout the competition. I am proud of that and I feel like I kept the faith. I finished the race and gave it my best shot but it just wasn’t in the cards.”

Soldati plans to start a family with her husband, Adam, and will keep the door open to returning for 2008 to show the world what she is capable of.

Kunkel will return to the pool Thursday, Aug. 26 at 12:00 for the semifinal round. Preliminary scores will be added to the semifinal scores with the top 12 advancing to the finals on Thursday night at 9:00 p.m.

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USA Diving is the national governing body for the sport of diving. Headquartered in Indianapolis, USA Diving offers diversified programs geared toward the broadest number of diving enthusiasts, from the novice to the world champion. USA Diving conducts approximately 40 regional and national events annually, sanctions hundreds of events managed by its 350 member clubs and is responsible for training and selecting teams that represent the United States at international events such as the Olympic Games, World Championships and Pan American Games.

- USAD –

For additional information, please contact Ann Bleiker, diving press officer, at ann.bleiker@usoc.org or 011-30-636-677-2093. Information can also be found at www.usadiving.org, www.usolympicteam.com or www.nbcolympics.com.

USA Diving

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KUNKEL USES NURSE EXPERIENCE IN QUEST FOR OLYMPIC GOLD August 25, 2004 ATHENS, Greece – Rachelle Kunkel has used her experience of working as nurse in labor and delivery to help her in her quest for gold at the Olympics. Kunkel grew up in West Valley City, Utah, but now lives, works and trains in Los Angeles, Calif. On Wednesday afternoon, she got one step closer to possibly standing on the medal stand on Thursday night when the women’s 3-meter springboard competition comes to a close. She finished 12th in the preliminary round with 294.75 points on five dives. “I thought I started out really strong and that was my plan,” Kunkel said. “I just wanted to be steady and do what I do in practice. Those first two dives were really important for me and they were confidence boosters.” Competing at the Olympics can be stressful in and of itself but Kunkel relies on skills she has acquired as a nurse to control the stress in a productive manner. “It (being a nurse and an Olympic diver) is pretty similar as far as the stress goes,” Kunkel said. “Sometimes it can be very stressful when a baby or mom is in trouble and for the most part you have to be the one that is calm on the surface and give support to the family. It is a really important as a nurse because you are the one in most contact with the patients and they rely on you for strength, faith and guidance. It is very similar to the Olympics because you feel a lot of stress here. You have to grab hold of it and just control it the best you can.” Kunkel was very consistent on her first two dives scoring 63 on both. She faltered a little on her third dive, a reverse 2 1⁄2 somersault, which she says is either a hit or miss dive for her. She recorded only 41.40 points. It was a tough day for Kimiko Soldati of Magnolia, Texas, who finished 21st with 252.36 points. She fell short of qualifying for the semifinal round as only the top 18 from preliminaries advance. Soldati, who has been plagued with injuries the majority of her career, started out a little shaky but fought back to finish strong. Since Olympic Trials in June, she has been battling a nagging shoulder injury that seemed to get worse as the Olympics drew closer. “It (her Olympic experience) wasn’t what I pictured it or imagined it would be,” Soldati said. “It is disappointing but given the circumstances and the lack of training that I have been able to do because of my shoulder, I went out and gave it my all. I left my heart out there and didn’t leave anything behind. I never gave up throughout the competition. I am proud of that and I feel like I kept the faith. I finished the race and gave it my best shot but it just wasn’t in the cards.” Soldati plans to start a family with her husband, Adam, and will keep the door open to returning for 2008 to show the world what she is capable of. Kunkel will return to the pool Thursday, Aug. 26 at 12:00 for the semifinal round. Preliminary scores will be added to the semifinal scores with the top 12 advancing to the finals on Thursday night at 9:00 p.m. --30-- USA Diving is the national governing body for the sport of diving. Headquartered in Indianapolis, USA Diving offers diversified programs geared toward the broadest number of diving enthusiasts, from the novice to the world champion. USA Diving conducts approximately 40 regional and national events annually, sanctions hundreds of events managed by its 350 member clubs and is responsible for training and selecting teams that represent the United States at international events such as the Olympic Games, World Championships and Pan American Games. - USAD – For additional information, please contact Ann Bleiker, diving press officer, at ann.bleiker@usoc.org or 011-30-636-677-2093. Information can also be found at www.usadiving.org, www.usolympicteam.com or www.nbcolympics.com. .
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