| Sara
Reiling Hildebrand - His Story in His Own Words |
| |
| Back
then |
| Born: |
October 10, 1968 in Vicenza, Italy |
| Hometown: |
Somerset, New Jersey/ Houston, TX |
| Club
Diving: |
- Cedar Hill Swim Club- NJ
- Pohl's Pool Plungers- NJ
- Morningside Muggers- NY
- Houston/Woodlands Diving- TX
- Mission Viejo Nadadores- CA
- Mission Bay Makos- FL
- Ft. Lauderdale Diving- FL
- Miami Hurricane Diving- FL
|
| Coaches: |
- Jimmy Pohl from Pohl's Pool Plungers in Bridgewater, NJ
- Jim Stillson from Morningside Muggers in NYC and SMU
- Terry Faulkenberry
- Jeff Shaffer from Mission Viejo Nadadores
- Ron O'Brien from Mission Bay/ Ft. Lauderdale, FL
- Randy Ableman Randy Ableman from Miami, FL
|
| Elementary
School: |
Somerset, NJ |
| High
School: |
Houston, TX, Mission Viejo, CA, Boca Raton, FL |
| Major: |
Advertising |
| Graduated: |
1990 |
| Retired
from Competition |
1996 |
| Family: |
Wife- Kaili, Daughter- Lucy and Dog- Rocky |
| Diving
Accomplishments |
| College |
- 1989 NCAA Division 1, 10 meter Champion
- 1990 NCAA Division 1, 3 meter Champion
- 1990 NCAA Division 1, 10 meter Champion
|
| National
Diving Titles and Accomplishments |
| |
- 11 times US National Champion
- 1985-1996 USA Diving Senior National Team Member
|
| Olympic
Games |
| |
- 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain - Silver Medal in the Platform
event
- 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, USA - 4th place in the
3 meter event
|
| Special
Awards |
| |
- WhoSam Award
- Phillips Performance Awar
- Multiple High Point Winner at US Nationals
- NCAA Diver of the Year
- Multiple NCAA All American
- SMU Table of Champions
- High School All American National Champion
|
| Coaching
Accomplishments |
| |
- 1993-1996 Assistant Coach at the University of Miami - Three NCAA
National Champions
- 1999 - 2006 Head Diving Coach at New York University - Ten All Americans
|
| Other |
| |
- Graduate of New Actor's Workshop 2 year acting conservatory
- Performed at Williamstown Theater Festival on Main Stage
- Produced and starred in NYC production of "Geography of a Horse
Dreamer" by Sam Shephard
- Performed Improv Comedy in various NYC Comedy Clubs
- Performed as singer in Ellen's Stardust Diner in NYC
- Member of the NYC2012 Board of Directors
|
| Scott
Donie's Story in his own words - From a diver's perspective. |
| |
|
| What
other divers and coaches have you kept in touch with throughout the years? |
| |
I'm terrible at keeping in touch. I wish this list was a
lot longer- I made so many friends all over the world that I would love
to reconnect with some day. But here are a few of the people I have been
in touch with since I retired... Brian Ramos, Dean Panaro, Edward Morse,
Lee Michaud, Heather Cleevely, Jim Stillson, Ron O'Brien, Randy Ableman,
Terry Faulkenberry, Julia Cruz, Dario DiFazio, Gordon Spencer |
| At
what age did you start diving? |
| |
I was eight years old. I had been on the swim team for a
couple of years already and used to sneak out of swim practice to dive
off the boards. One day the swim coach said, " Why don't you just
join the diving team?" It was the same year we got a trampoline in
our back yard and I started taking lessons on tramp too. |
| What
was your favorite dive? |
| |
1 meter - 305c
3 meter- 305b
10 meter - 305c |
| What
was your hardest dive? |
| |
10 meter - 307c |
| Who
was your favorite Coach? |
| |
They were all perfect for me at each stage of my career.
I could never say enough about how important Jimmy Pohl was when I first
started. He showed me how to have fun and gave me my passion for the sport
that carried me through my whole career.
Terry Faulkenberry is a brilliant coach who passed along something that
was absolutely magical. He gave me my fearless confidence as a competitor.
Jim Stillson is an incredible motivator who introduced me to the 10 meter
platform and gave me my courage and my toughness.
Jeff Shaffer showed me that I could compete with anyone and brought me
to the US National Team when I was only 15.
Ron O'Brien is a technical genius and the most complete coach I have ever
seen. He gave me the great honor of becoming my teacher when I was only
16 years old. He also gave me the opportunity to train side by side with
legends like Greg Louganis, Megan Neyer, Wendy Wyland, Ron Merriott, Jim
Gray etc. The list goes on and on. I used to challenge Jim Gray to one
dive challenges when I was still in high school. Back then, he was legendary-
the only man other than Louganis to break 700 on 3 meter. Those are experiences
that most high school divers don't get. Watching Louganis every day--
It was like watching a great artist in his prime-- unbelievable. Ron O'Brien
took me to the top of the world and to the Olympic podium. He gave me
my dreams. Thanks for believing in me Ron!
And last but not least... Randy Ableman. I've never seen anyone make daily
excellence and being the best coach in the country look so easy. Check
out his record as a coach. Awesome. And he still finds plenty of time
to be a real life mentor, a true friend and go fishing every weekend.
He's one of the most genuine and generous people I know. He gave me my
second life as a diver and he is the coach I strive most to emulate every
day. Thanks Randall. |
| What
is your favorite part of diving as a sport? |
| |
The way that conquering fear in one area of your life can
transform you as a person. |
| In
those days, did divers receive any money or compensation after winning
a big meet? |
| |
Ther were a few meets toward th end of my career where there
was prize money. I bought my first guitar after I won the HTH classic
in 1991! |
| If
so, do you think it is better to be paid to train like the top divers
in the US and some other countries are now, or is the Prize money a better
incentive? |
| |
Divers need to be able to spend a lot of time training and
still be able to support themselves. I always had a part time job while
I was training. I think you can be a more well rounded person that way.
But if you can find someone who will pay you to train, take it! Prize
money can be nice, but passion, hard work and confidence are the real
keys to success. |
| Back
then, what was better in the sport of diving? |
| |
No synchro. I'm sorry synchro fans. I think our sport is
enough without synchro. I think it cheapens the sport. It is beautiful
and exciting, but it belongs in diving shows. I'm glad that we have been
able to increase our number of Olympic events. Thank you for all your
efforts Tom Gompf. I'm just a purist at heart. |
| What
do you think is better now? |
| |
The rest
of the world's diving programs. The US has always had great coaches and
divers. Now there are great programs everywhere in the world. |
| What
did you miss the most when you retired from the sport of diving? |
| |
Getting nervous. Performing for a crowd. The people. The
travel. |
| What
is the best part about making the Olympic Games? |
| |
Life in the Olympic Village. Every country... every sport...
24 hour dining halls... meeting Magic Johnson... the best 307c of my life...nights
on the beach in Barcelona... |
| What
was the worst part about making it to the Olympic Games? |
| |
Coming down after it's all over. |
| Did
you attend any Olympic Games after retiring? Where and what are your feelings
about them? |
| |
Not yet, but I would love to go to Beijing. Can anyone get
me a job |
| While
member of the USA Diving Senior National Team, what attire did you receive?
|
| |
Suits, Towels, Sweats, Bags, Sammies, Shirts, Shorts, Shoes,
Robes, Sandals... I think we got Parkas one year. |
| What
could or should be improved in the Diving World as we know it today? |
| |
Marketing the sport to a broader audience. I would love
to help bring our sport to the masses. I have been studying broadcasting
and hope to become a broadcaster that can help the average sports fan
understand and appreciate our sport. |
| What
is your best memory about your years in diving? |
| |
So many... I may have to write a book someday. Some of the
best memories were the competitions themselves. That feeling that I used
to get where you just knew that you were about to do something great.
And you felt that everyone who was watching knew it too. Hearing the roar
of the crowd that was so loud that you could hear it from the bottom of
the pool. Also, there were so many fun things that I got to do. The travelling
of course, the Olympic Trials after parties, having my picture in Sports
Illustrated-- 3 times!, being interviewed by Howard Stern, meeting Presidents!
|
| Did
you get to travel internationally? |
| |
Yes. The best education I have ever received was the travelling
I got to do through the sport of diving. Seeing other cultures and becoming
friends with people who are so different from ourselves changed my view
of the world. |
| Where
did you get to travel for diving? |
| |
Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Cuba, England, Germany,
Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden |
| Do
you think that travelling is important to young divers? |
| |
Absolutely. There is no substitute for the experience of
travelling to another culture. It is one of the greatest benefits of sport.
Sport brings the world together in a way that nothing else does. |
| If
you had the chance to “do it all, all over again”, would you? What would
you do different? |
| |
I wouldn't change a thing. The entire experience- all the
good and the bad, made me who I am today. Made me into the coach that
I am. Made me into the person that my wife fell in love with. Made me
into the Father that I am to my daughter. |
| What
is the most important “feature” a diver needs in order to “make the Olympic
Team” |
| |
One word- DESIRE. |
| What
would be the best advise you could give young divers today? |
| |
The sport of diving was invented for one reason. It's fun!!!
Remember that every time you dive. |