Board Silly - Diver Spotlight on Michelle Davison

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The experience had already been exciting enough. It was the Olympic Games, and Michelle Davison's entire diving career had been aimed at making this prestigious team. But now she was marching into the Olympic stadium with a thousand other American athletes, and 110,000 cheering Australians, all wildly enthusiastic to host the biggest event in the world. With pageantry and splendor akin only to royalty, Michelle thought it couldn't get any better.

And then her eyes focused on the massive stadium video screens.

There, full of pride, sat her mother. It was lottery-style chances, but nevertheless, Denise Davison beamed, bigger than life, her love on her sleeve for the world to see.

It was Michelle's favorite moment of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, and something she admitted she will remember forever.

But with absolutely no hesitation, Michelle also threw out a whole list of similarly spectacular moments from the Games -- the athlete village, the diving spectators, the Sydney locals. Each one of them contributed to her unbelievable once-in-a-lifetime experience. In fact, Michelle had trouble pinning down any negatives at all.

So what does she want to do now? "I want to go back in 2004," she pleaded, "but it really depends on how school works out."

For most of her life, the 21-year-old has lived in Columbia, S.C. Family and friends were always a vitally important part of growing up, so it was no surprise that Michelle chose to stay with long-time coach Todd Sherritt at the University of South Carolina when it came time to choose a college. He had discovered her in 1986 while she was doing flips into the community pool. He nurtured her development for 14 years. During that time Michelle became both a top junior and senior national diver, winning nine junior titles between 1991 and 1997 and her first senior national title on 3-meter in 1998.

"He taught me everything I know," Michelle said, "but most of all he taught me to be a great competitor."

But when diver and coach decided to part ways in January 2000, Michelle faced a tough decision -- leave home or quit diving. Her choice to train in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with Tim O'Brien was difficult, but ultimately the right one.

"It was my first time away from home," she admitted. "At first I enjoyed the change, but then I really missed home." And her family wasn't the only thing different. Used to being the best diver on deck at USC, Michelle had to start working with a team that starred 3-meter rival Michelle Rojohn and up-and-coming age grouper Lauren King.

"We pushed each other," Michelle admitted, "but we had our bumps."

Michelle moved to south Florida in January, and stayed with her grandparents in nearby Boca Raton. But it was April before she saw the fruits of her new training situation. While at the 2000 U.S. Indoor Nationals, in Minneapolis, Michelle and Tim finally reached a turning point when they "actually starting working together."

Their new relationship bloomed in June at the U.S. Olympic Trials when Michelle won a berth on the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team. Although she finished 12th on 3-meter at the Games, Michelle said even that will help her in the future as she sets competitive goals.

"Just going to Sydney was the first priority in 2000," she explained, "and medaling was second. In 2004, I want to get a medal."

To do it Michelle's going to beef up her already tough 3-meter list, adding a front 3 1/2 pike and gainer 3 1/2 pike. "I realized at the Olympics that the whole world is doing 3 1/2s and we're still going 2 1/2s -- that DD helps."

But first Michelle needs to find a coach, and a pool, for that matter. Now that she's back from the Games and living with her family again in Columbia with no pool to train in, Michelle is thinking about school. She ended her career at USC as a junior, but is looking to pick up where she left off.

The management and international business major says she's looking for a school that is very diverse both by population and surrounding area, and she admits that the quality of education may prove to be a bigger part of her decision than the quality of the diving program.

"I'm shooting for another Olympics in 2004," she said, "but if some extraordinary career opportunity comes along, I might just have to go that route." She hopes to enroll in whatever school she chooses in January.

But for the next few months, however, Michelle is taking a break -- a break from diving, a break from the stress of training, and a break from the pool. "I'm not even going to touch a board for awhile," she mused.

So, for the first time in 14 years, Michelle Davison is not diving. It's all part of the new strategy she learned while in Fort Lauderdale -- to have fun. "I was too focused before and not enjoying the sport that I love," she said "I used to be a bear, but I'm a fun person now."