On September 28th, 2019 I enjoyed the tremendous honor of being inducted into the Westminster Athletic Hall of Fame. I gave the following speech at the induction ceremony
Thank you Cynthia and my diving co-captain, Eleanor for the kind words and introduction. I am so humbled by this incredible honor, and so grateful for Westminster. This is such a special place to me; a place that inspired excellence as a student-athlete, and a place where God started giving me glimpses of the man he’s called me to become. I’m so thankful for the innumerable ways Westminster has shaped my life, my character, and my faith.
As some of you may know, I had the opportunity to serve as an assistant coach last season. I remember walking onto the pool deck for the first day of practice last October, smelling that chlorine smell that's become a defining feature of my life, feeling a little bit of the same nervous excitement I'd felt 13 years before.
As a freshman, I was nervous about lots of things. Would I fit in on the team? Would my speedo fall off on my first dive off the three meter? Would I embarrass myself in front coach Cynthia Potter, one of the most accomplished divers in the history of the sport? To all three questions, the answer was probably yes.
During my four years as a Westminster student athlete, great men and women invested countless hours in me. Teachers, trainers, coaches, teammates, and classmates all loved me sacrificially, cultivating growth in my mind, body, and spirit.
So you can imagine the pressure I felt returning as a coach, trying to live up to even a shadow of the of the role models I was so lucky to have. One of these role models is Cynthia Potter. Cynthia taught me many things, but for the sake of brevity I'm just going to mention a couple. My freshman year, she taught me what would become my signature dive, a reverse one-and-a-half twister, filling me with confidence and opening up a whole new avenue in the sport. She also taught me more about the competitive mindset than any coach I've ever had, and I'm forever grateful for the many ways she elevated my ability to perform. Thank you for everything, Cynthia! And thank you to all the coaches that have come alongside me throughout my diving career. Regardless of the amount of time, you've all had an immense impact in shaping me into the person I am today.
I’m also grateful for the sport of diving. Diving taught me to grapple with my fear, and to pursue excellence with a spirit of curiosity and experimentation. Far more importantly, diving introduced me to my wife, Katelyn Vines, the mother of our baby girl Arden. Thank you so much for your support and for taking the diving journey with me all these years, KP!
Finally, I want to thank my family for supporting me and for all the sacrifices they made to help me pursue my dream. Specifically I want to thank my mom, dad, and sister Kristi for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself. I love you all.
Thank you again for this amazing honor. Go cats!
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