First-year men’s and women’s diving coach Tom Michael was made for the sport.
Before he could even waddle his way around the house as a child — and long before he was plunging 142 feet for a TV commercial — Michael was bouncing on a trampoline. His dad was a diver and so were both of his siblings.
“It was a thrill for me, and I’m a thrill-seeker,” says Michael, describing his first encounter with diving at age 4.
Many tucks, pikes and 100-foot drops later, Michael is hoping to make a splash as the new coach of Northwestern’s diving program, traditionally seen as the weak link on a strong swimming team.
The women’s diving team will be put to the test tonight when NU (2-5) squares off at Norris Aquatic Center against Notre Dame (8-1), which boasts one of the nation’s elite diving squads.
But NU divers can rely on Michael’s knowledge and experience to relieve any pre-meet jitters.
“He definitely relates to us,” says Christy Michalak, who has been diving under Michael since she was 16. “He can tell when the team morale isn’t very good because he’s been here. He’s just a great motivator.”
Michael, however, describes his motivational tactics as low-key.
“I think I have the ability to motivate somebody without screaming at them,” he says. “I try to put them in competition mode a couple of workouts before the competition so they know what they should be thinking about when it comes time for the meet.
“I’ve got kids on this team who have not yet reached their full potential. They hadn’t had the chance to flourish. Now they do.”
And Michael knows a thing or two about flourishing on the boards.
His dad coached him in his first competition when he was 4. He won a state title as a high schooler in Michigan. And as a diver at Eastern Michigan, he dominated the Mid-American Conference, winning five MAC championships, three conference awards as diver of the year and the school’s honor as outstanding senior swimmer — though he didn’t swim a stroke in college.
Michael later returned to his alma mater, where he coached for the past six years. During his tenure at Eastern Michigan, 15 of his divers qualified for the NCAA diving zone championships, and his teams boast three MAC titles as well. Add to this his three coach of the year awards, and it’s no surprise Michael was a lock for the NU job.
“He seemed very organized and has a plan for the divers,” head coach Jimmy Tierney says. “He seems to understand what it takes to help get (the divers) to the upper level of the Big Ten and the national level.
“He’s dedicated to the sport of diving. He’s lived the sport. He’s very into it.”
Michael’s love for the sport soars higher than a 1- or 3-meter springboard.
He once plunged 142 feet for a French soft drink commercial. He was a professional high diver for 10 years and reigns as the world high-dive champion from 80, 90 and 100 feet.
Michael instills this daredevil, thrill-seeking approach into others — just ask Kristin Ward. Last season, the sophomore diver contemplated quitting the sport. Then Michael stepped in.
“You can tell that he loves the sport,” Ward says. “He’s changed my attitude about diving this year. Last year I was not having fun with it. I look forward to practice now.”
Not only has his motivation lifted her head once again, but it has also made her better off the board. Last year, she couldn’t execute a backward one-and-a-half tuck; now Ward nails back two-and-a-halves.
Ward also points out the family-type atmosphere Michael brings to the team. He organizes dinners and ensures that the divers maintain an open line of communication. Michalak, who transferred to NU this year from Eastern Michigan, wouldn’t dive for anyone else.
“He is like my second dad,” she says. “I came to (NU) solely for the reason that he’s here. That pretty much sums up how I feel about him.”
Both Michael and Michalak left a strong diving program at Eastern Michigan — which beat two Big Ten squads last year — and have their work cut out for them at NU. Michael acknowledges his No. 1 priority is rebuilding.
“It needs some restructuring, and that’s my job to do it,” he says. “We just need a little bit more experience.”
“Our goal is to have a diver on that (All-American) board with all of our swimmers,” Tierney adds, pointing to a list of NU All-Americans.
And that all starts with recruiting, Michael says. Tierney feels that Michael’s prestige in the diving world makes him the right man for the job.
“If I get the one person in here that is world-ranked and she does well here,” Michael says, “then other kids are going to want to come.”
Should Michael succeed in building a nationally renowned program, Tierney expects that it will bring the entire team one step closer to hoisting a Big Ten trophy. But winning isn’t the only reason people appreciate Michael.
“He’s a great diving coach,” Michalak says. “But he’s also a great person. That’s why I like him so much.”
