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Colwill Turns Hearing Loss Into An Edge

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By BILL WARD

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 19, 2008

TAMPA - Chris Colwill admits he might have a slight advantage over his competition at this week's U.S. Olympic Diving Trials in Indianapolis. The odd thing is, most people would call his "edge" a physical challenge.

It's not something he gives much thought to anymore, but Colwill, a native of Brandon, was born with only 40 percent of his hearing. The condition has never improved, yet he never has taken special classes because of it. Instead, he has chosen to mainstream at school with the rest of his peers.

But Colwill doesn't dive with his hearing aids, and because of that, he can stand on the diving board and not hear most of the background noises that can distract other divers - an unavoidable cough from a fan, a cell phone someone forgot to turn off or the noise of an ambulance passing outside the arena.

"All those outside sounds most people hear, I never hear them so it doesn't bother me during competition at all," Colwill said. "It's kind of funny, but I think if I somehow gained my hearing tomorrow, I'd probably dive worse."

Colwill's University of Georgia coach, Dan Laak, believes Colwill's loss of hearing has helped him heighten other senses, particularly his visual acuity. Colwill also can read lips.

"Chris can see things halfway across the pool in a split second that other divers don't see," Laak said. "His sense of awareness of where he is in the air and his peripheral vision is exceptional, too. It's almost cat-like the way Chris can see and react to things."

Colwill has another distinct advantage over many divers: his experience, which includes his participation in the 2004 Olympic trials and a career that started when he was still in pre-school.

He was introduced to the sport at the Brandon Sports and Aquatic Center, where Colwill initially attended gymnastics classes. One day, he saw someone dive off the BSAC tower and told his parents "I want to do that."

"I think that nearly gave his mom a heart attack, but he was such an active little kid," said his father, Chuck Colwill. "He was constantly outside, in the back yard, playing around or jumping on a trampoline. We could hardly get him off that thing."

Guided by BSAC's Joe Greenwell and Kathie McNeil, Colwill made his debut at the national junior diving championships as an 8-year-old. At 9, he won the platform competition and placed in the top five of 3-meter and 1-meter. Over the next five years, Colwill won six more junior national titles and, at age 14, reached the World Junior Championships to win the gold medal in platform diving and a bronze medal in 1-meter.

By the time Colwill left the junior division, he owned eight national crowns. But at age 15, he says he experienced a growth spurt, one that resulted in some mixed results and a slight case of burnout. In fact, when he signed with Georgia after winning three state titles at Tampa Prep, Colwill says he wasn't expecting to dive after college.

"I literally thought I was just going to do college diving and not ever compete for the U.S. team," Colwill said. "But once I started doing well in college and got invited to some World Cups, things started to turn around for me."

Colwill participated in the 2004 Olympic trials as a Georgia freshman, finishing 13th in 3-meter and 14th in platform. That was the same year he claimed the first senior national title and earned NCAA All-America honors.

Over the next three years, Colwill's diving career reached progressively higher orbits, with multiple Southeastern Conference and NCAA crowns and, last year, consistent top-5 finishes at FINA World Cup, Grand Prix and World Series meets.

The lone hiccup in his progression was the three broken bones he suffered in his foot, the result of hitting the diving board during an exhibition meet in Atlanta last summer.

Colwill, who recently earned his bachelor's degree in speech communications, says the four-month rehabilitation period from that injury made him appreciate his sport like never before. Little wonder he is so keen on making the Olympic team this year. While the 2004 Olympic trials were what his coach calls a "learning experience," there is no question Colwill is a serious contender this time around.

Colwill is one of 18 male divers who have qualified for the trials' 3-meter springboard event, where only the winner of the competition is guaranteed a place in this summer's Beijing Olympic Games. The trials began Wednesday and run through Sunday.

Colwill will compete in the 3-meter springboard Friday and Saturday. His leaping ability, technical skills and willingness to attempt dives with a high degree of difficulty make him one to watch, but veteran Troy Dumais enters the trials with a 30-point lead on the entire field based on his performances on this season's World Cup schedule. Also competing is 21-time national champion and two-time Olympian Mark Ruiz of Orlando.

The United States has earned one other Olympic berth in men's 3-meter, but the diver who lands that spot will be determined at a "selection camp" in Knoxville, Tenn., July 2-6. The top finishers at the trials, including the winner, will be invited to the camp.

The selection camp also will be used to pick the teams that will represent the United States in Olympic men's and women's synchronized diving, both 3-meter and 10-meter platform. There, Colwill and dive partner Jevon Tarantino of Boca Raton are the favorites to win 3-meter synchro. But even though this camp is a competition, those who make the Olympic team still will be determined by judges or "selectors" after the meet.

"I try not to worry about big meets that are coming up, because I have a tendency to over-think things." Colwill said. "When the time comes, I'll start kicking it in gear and will be mentally ready."

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