"What are some things you can do in the water?"This is how Scott Donie welcomed our kindergarten children into a conversation about his journey to the Olympics. In 1992, Scott earned an Olympic Silver Medal in Barcelona for 10-meter platform diving. Only 23 at the time, he was the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic diving team.
He returned to the Olympics in 1996 to compete in Atlanta and there earned Forth-Place honors for his skill on the 3-meter springboard.
These are impressive accomplishments indeed!
Scott listened as the children shared stories of swimming in the pool or at the beach and stressed that "everyone should take swimming lessons to be safe around the beach and around the pool". He began diving when he was an 8-year-old boy and practiced every day until he was 28. Throughout the early years his dream of being part of the biggest sporting event in the world THE OLYMPICS provided motivation.
He showed us pictures of himself on the 10-meter platform (that's as tall as a 3-story building), played a video of his 1992 dive and even passed around his Silver Medal! This was my favorite. How many times do you have an opportunity to hold an Olympic Medal?
The children asked him questions like "Do you get afraid of being up that high?" (his answer was "Yes") and "Do you still dive?" (Scott coaches the diving team at NYU).
We learned a lot about this sport from Scott but one thing we knew already was that it is amazing to watch. We asked to see his diving video more than once to take it all in.
Truly fantastic!
And what a great treat that he took the time to share his story with all of us. Thank you Scott!
5 comments:
How absolutely cool! Wish i could attend a day at your school!
Not only is he a great diver, but also a super brother, husband, and father.
Oh my...how very fun! I bet your class just loved that! The top photo is amazing, too!
Merry Christmas, Gary! Hope you enjoy the holidays! xo
How do you do it? You continue to find so many very special people with a story to tell. I've never touched an Olympic medal. I'm sure that is something your kids (and you) will always remember! And just think, Scott may have planted an Olympic spark in one of your kids!
Have the merriest of Christmases!
Pauline - The door is always open.
Steve - Indeed!
Betsy and Barbara - I hope you had a fantastic Christmas. It's hard to believe it has already come and gone. On to a New Year. May it be the best yet!
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