KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — It's a free-falling jump when the diver launches off a diving board around 32 feet high. Dave Parrington is a diving coach at the University of Tennessee and he said this sport encompasses mixed feelings.
Parrington now builds up athletes so they can get to their highest potential, the Olympics.
"You're launching yourself into the air to do multiple somersaults and flips and twists, and things of that nature and with the whole goal of landing vertically into the water, as straight as possible with a small amount of a splash," Parrington said. "It's exhilarating, to put it mildly. You know, and in some cases, there's some fear involved."
Parrington knows that feeling well. He started as early as 4 years old in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, and by the age of 13, he got serious with diving. He dove in the country of Rhodesia, and used to go and dive in the South African national championships.
"I've actually got a picture of myself when I was 4 years old standing on the end of a diving board," Parrington said.
As a young diver at 14 years old, he competed at the British Junior National Championships. Although he grew up in Southern Africa, he was actually born in the UK in England, so he could go back and dive in their championships.
That's where he gained international experience as he dove until he was 23 years old.
A scholarship gave him the opportunity to go to the U.S. — a huge accomplishment for him, getting a partial scholarship to the University of Houston and having a college career.
In the meantime, Rhodesia became Zimbabwe. Prior to becoming Zimbabwe, Parrington said they weren't in the Olympic Games from 1964 through 1980. But when Zimbabwe became a nation, they sent a team to the Olympic Games.
That's when Parrington was selected for the Zimbabwe Olympic team at the Moscow Olympic Games in 1980. Since then, he's been to the Olympics three times, once as an athlete and twice as a coach.
"You can see, probably, see pretty well that my thumb can move back and forth pretty easily," Parrington said.
Parrington now works to support the next generation of divers.
"One of my Lady Vol divers, Maddie Reese, she's going to be a senior on our team next year and she happens to be qualified for the United States and Olympic diving trials," Parrington said.
Parrington's divers said they trust Parrington and describe him as someone who guides you well.
"He helped me to gain more confidence as a person as well as as a diver," said Colin Zeng, an Assistant Diving Coach and an NCAA champion.
"Okay, he's very positive," said Bryden Hattie, a diver. "You could do, have a bad practice do a bad dive and he will always find the positive in anything."
Parrington said it takes a lot of preparation to make that leap off of 32 feet, which is as if a person is jumping out of a three-story building.
His message is to not let fear get in the way of anything.
"It takes a long time, we've spent years getting everything correct so that when you do go up there, you should probably do it right," Parrington said. "Having that confidence to take that leap of faith, so to speak, and just get in the air and do it, but it all comes down to preparation and training."