On May 25th, I had the honor of meeting Greg Louganis in person at the Mission Viejo Nadadores dive meet. Louganis, alum of UC Irvine and MV Nadadores was a special guest at the school to support young divers.
I’ve been a fan of Louganis since I was 15 years old. I remember watching him on television during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. After 30 years, I was able to meet him and even introduced him to my son. It was an amazing opportunity.
Louganis was a 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games gold medalist on both the springboard and platform but yet so modest talking to his fans. According to Wikipedia, Louganis is the only male and the second diver in Olympic history to sweep the diving events in two consecutive Olympic Games.
At the moment, Louganis is busy with his latest project – a candid documentary film called “Back on Board” which talks about his struggles with financial security over the past three years and his reunion with the sport he once dominated but never felt welcomed by. “Back on Board” is a story about an American Olympic icon from his humble beginnings to nearly universal acclaim as the greatest diver ever. The documentary chronicles the pioneering openly gay athlete experiences with HIV and how some overlooked the sports legend. This film follows Louganis as he resurfaces on the world stage to combat prejudice, promote tolerance, and return to the diving arena after a long period of absence to mentor the next generation of divers. For more information about his latest project, you may go to his website http://greglouganis.com/
Quick Chat with Greg Louganis
With all that being said, here is a short but sweet interview with the sports icon Greg Louganis.
Popbuff: How do you like being at this meet and greet diving event?
GL: This is where I started. I was one of the first members of Mission Viejo Nadodores in 1976 – Billy Day, Jane Ward and myself. And so, it’s got a great history Mission Viejo does for me.
Popbuff: Are you going to do another reality show like Splash?
GL: I don’t know. I doubt whether it’s going to be picked up. They haven’t canned it. They played the injury so much that a lot of celebrities are afraid of it – it’s a sport.
Popbuff: What is your word of advice for young divers?
GL: The most important thing is have fun. You know, you get to travel; there are wonderful people in the diving world. And you know it’s great to see different places and make new friends.
Speak Your Mind