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Divers will get in sync on tour
Posted: Sunday June 25, 2000 10:42 AM
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- The best chance for a U.S. medal in Sydney will likely be in the synchronized events, which will make their Olympic debut this year, rather than in individual ones. Since synchronized divers will also participate in individual competition, it raises the question of just how certain divers who have never performed together will fare. Laura Wilkinson and Sara Reiling, who qualified for the U.S. team on platform Saturday, have never jumped into a pool together. "Oh, yeah, I totally forgot about that," Reiling said when reminded of the synchronized competition. "I guess we'll have to start training." With such preparations in mind, U.S. diving officials have scheduled a pair of three-city tours into the American heartland over the next month. The tour stops include Cleveland (June 30), Lexington, Ky. (July 1), St. Louis (July 2), San Antonio (July 14), Midland, Texas (July 15), and Oklahoma City (July 16). Though divers' berths in individual events are guaranteed based on trials results, U.S. coaches have the option of swapping divers into different synchronized events if they feel the mix will be better. Reiling, for instance, was the spring national champ on three-meter. Jenny Keim, who qualified for the Olympics on springboard, has had better national results on platform over the past two years. On the men's side, Mark Ruiz and Troy Dumais, who qualified together on springboard, are good friends who have dived together before, but Ruiz is a tad quicker than Dumais, complicating the synchronization that accounts for five of the judges' nine marks.
Former champ assesses U.S. chancesThe tour coordinator will be none other than 1972 women's Olympic springboard champion Micki King, a retired Air Force colonel who served as U.S. Diving president from 1990-94 and now lives in Lexington, one of the tour stops. "The pairing of synchro teams will be a real challenge," King said. "We've never dealt with it before. Spectators love it. It's great exposure for our sport, but this is new. We're on a train going out of control downhill on our way to Sydney. We need a chance to experiment with synchro combinations in front of a live audience." As King was sorting through flight arrangements, hotel-room pairings and bus transfers, she gave her scouting report on the four women who will represent the United States at the Sydney Olympics: Michelle Davison (springboard): "She may be a new face to middle America, but we've watched her grow since she was a little grasshopper. She has a high degree of difficulty on her dives. And frankly, that's what we're up against when you talk about the Russians and the Chinese: high DDs. Michelle's not doing dives just to do 'em." Keim (springboard): "She brings sage experience to the team. She's the repeater. She went to Atlanta with a certain excitement, adventure, drama and it was overwhelming. [Keim placed ninth on the springboard in 1996.] She will be able to react above that this time. Her leadership will be a huge asset. Last time she was one of the youngest. This time [at 22] she'll be one of the oldest. Nothing will be able to snow her." Reiling (platform): "The tower was wide open what with Laura's foot in question. When people discussed contenders for the team, Sara's name would always come up. It was just a question of whether she'd put it together. It wasn't a surprise to us. She was clearly meet-ready. A lot of kids like her can win the workout, but she put it together when it mattered. She has a great future [Reiling will turn 21 during the Games] and you'll hear a lot from her." Wilkinson (platform): "The world diving community knows her even though she hasn't been to an Olympics. She has a lot of weapons and she knows how to compete. Her rip entries can match anyone's in the world. She's a diver they need to worry about."
Sports Illustrated writer-reporter Brian Cazeneuve, the magazine's Olympics expert, is in Washington covering the diving trials. He will file reports after each of the finals. Click here to send a question to his Sydney 2000 Mailbag.
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