On A Mission - Diver Spotlight on Justin Wilcock
By Kristen Fuhs

As a freshman at Brigham Young University, Justin Wilcock clipped an article out of the newspaper announcing Athens as the host city for the 2004 Olympics. For years he had dreamed of making the U.S. Olympic Team - first as a gymnast, then as a diver. But as soon as he saw the printed words, his quest for the Olympic Games seemed like a reality.

"In the back of my mind, I had always pushed for it," he said. "But when I saw that article, it became a concrete thing. And I was going to go for it."

Wilcock's diving career has seen some changes since that article. He took a two-year leave from the sport in order to carry out a mission in France and Belgium with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1998-2000. Then he returned to BYU to dive for coach Keith Russell until 2002, when he made the move to The Woodlands and coach Kenny Armstrong. Now, Wilcock heads to the Olympics after placing second on men's 3-meter, behind Troy Dumais.

The catalyst behind Wilcock's recent success, he said, is Armstrong and his intensity. He was drawn to The Woodlands after reading Kimiko Soldati's article in Inside USA Diving, but he only planned to spend the summer of 2002 with him and return to BYU to finish out his eligibility and get his degree in horticulture. Armstrong's style seemed like too good of a fit, though.

"From that point on, Kenny just instilled that knowledge that I could make it - and not only make it to the Olympics, but win a gold medal."

At the end of the summer, Armstrong approached him and said they needed two full years to get where they needed to be for the Olympics. With the support of Russell, Wilcock forfeited his last year of eligibility and put off graduation. They focused on the basics and worked hard to get a solid foundation.

"His vision and positive reinforcement were amazing," he said. "He always said, 'We're not training for the Olympic Trials, we're training to win an Olympic medal.' Having someone believe in you so much, how could you not believe?"

Other strong supporters of Wilcock include his friends and family and the many people he has stayed with over the years - free of charge. The Redfords, a family he has lived with for two years while training at The Woodlands, practically spoils him, he said. And he calls himself a "professional mooch" because of all of the people who have opened their homes and lives to him during his 11 years of training and competitions.

His parents, though, have been the ultimate supporters since day one, he said.

"They've been there since gymnastics, and the support hasn't changed."

They will join him in Athens, along with his girlfriend, his former age group coach and a former teammate. His former coach also coached Olympic teammate Rachelle Kunkel in Salt Lake City.

Wilcock made the switch to diving when he was 12-years-old, after he heard an announcement at school about a diving clinic. He called his mom and asked her to bring his suit and towel to school when she picked him up so that he could attend the event in his small town.

"Afterwards, I knew that's what I wanted to do," he said. Six weeks later he quit gymnastics to focus on diving.

As he prepared for his first Senior National Championships in 1996, he was practicing one more dive, his last before heading to Moultrie, Ga. when his head smacked the springboard, requiring stitches.

"I rushed out of the hospital to get to the airport, barely making my flight," he said. "There I was, on the plane, with crusted blood in my hair."

Although he didn't place very well, his experience paved the way for other national meet appearances.

He finished fourth in 2003 at the Speedo National Diving Championships, and second in the World Cup Trials and the Speedo American Cup earlier this year. Coming into the Olympic Trials, he said his best performance was at the 2004 World Cup where he was able to "keep it together" at his first world competition and make the finals.

His strong performances leading up to the Trials helped bring a peace around him when he competed in St. Peters, knowing that he had done everything he could do to prepare and his faith and trust were in God.

"I experienced every kind of emotion during the weeks before Trials. Fear, nervousness, excitement, confidence," he said. "But once I was at Trials I was pretty calm, though definitely anxious to know if I made the team or not."

Despite his dream of going to the Olympics coming true, and friends watching him on television, not much has changed since making the Olympic Team, he said.

"I've had my little fifteen minutes of fame, that's a nice bonus. Friends called me up to say they watched me dive, so that's been fun," he said. "But, I haven't changed, hopefully."

When Wilcock received a month-long crash course in French and spent two years spreading his church's message about Jesus Christ and religion, he did see changes though - on and off the diving board. As Wilcock served the community and met the people, he realized that the religion he had grown up in was now 100 percent a part of him.

"It solidified my belief in God and Jesus Christ and my church," he said. "But it affected every part of me. I had to learn patience and hard work, something that carried over to my diving."

His hard work in the sport will likely take him into 2008, he said, where he would love to contend with China in their home country.

"I'm still a baby in this sport. As long as my body holds up, I love a chance to compete," he said.
He also loves to watch other competitions, and although he doesn't know how much time outside of diving he will have, he would like to attend gymnastics or track and field events in Athens.

"It's been fun watching the trials - especially after knowing I made the team and knowing what they are going through," he said.

After the Games, Wilcock plans to finish school at BYU, where he is enrolled in the fall. Then, with his degree in horticulture, he will move back to The Woodlands to continue training with Armstrong and get his MBA.