2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Diving
Presented by Bank of America
22,500 fans attended event at St. Peters Rec-Plex; USA Diving President called trials “One of the best we've staged.”
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Click on any thumbnail above to begin slide show. Photos by Dave Preston |
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June 7-13 , 2004 - St. Peters Rec-Plex
One hundred years after making its Olympic debut at a man-made lake in St. Louis' Forest Park, diving returned to its Olympic birthplace for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Diving.
The trials, held from June 7-13 at the St. Peters Rec-Plex and hosted by the Sports Commission and City of St. Peters, turned out to be an overwhelming success.
More than 22,500 fans attended the event's 12 sessions, an average of nearly 1,900 fans per session. The Rec-Plex was near capacity for the final six sessions.
The event received four hours of coverage on NBC, giving the Rec-Plex, St. Peters, and the St. Louis region national television exposure. Highlights and photos from the event made page A1 of the St. Louis Post Dispatch on three separate occasions, and the newspaper had a front-page story in the sports section every day.
“It's one of the best, if not the best, trials we've staged,” USA Diving President David Burgering told the Post-Dispatch. “What has made it the best is the total effort of the city.”
“The event showcased diving so well, to the community, fans, and viewers,” said Trials Executive Director Steve McFarland. “The intensity of this event is like no other. The people here saw what it would be like to be in Athens and saved themselves the plane fare.
“The athletes were really impressed. A number of them have been to the Olympic Games and they all told me this is as close to an Olympic event as they've been to outside of the Olympics.”
Eleven divers were named to the U.S. Olympic Team that competed in Athens, Greece, in late August. Cesar Garcia, Kyle Prandi, and Mark Ruiz on the men's platform; Laura Wilkinson (2000 Olympic gold medalist), Sara Hildebrand, and Cassandra Cardinell on the women's platform; Justin Dumais, Troy Dumais, and Justin Wilcox on the men's 3M springboard; and Rachelle Kunkel and Kimiko Soldati on the women's 3M springboard. Six of the divers also participated in synchronized diving events at the Athens Games.
More than 50 of America's greatest Olympic divers attended the trials as part of a once-in-a-lifetime reunion. The reunion celebrated the 100 th anniversary of the sport's Olympic debut and U.S. Diving's first gold medal. Since 1904, U.S. Diving has compiled the highest medal-winning percentage of all American Olympic sports. At the Rec-Plex, you could not turn around without running into one of the legendary divers. Whether it was Greg Lougains, Wendy Williams, or Sammy Lee, Olympic medalists were everywhere.
The Olympians also gathered for a once-in-a-lifetime luncheon at Forest Park Golf Course. The clubhouse at the course was built on top of the man made lake used during the 1904 Olympic games. Of course, the lake is now filled in with dirt, but the diving greats were truly on hallowed ground 100 years after their sport made its Olympic debut.
More than 400 volunteers clad in lime green shirts were an integral part of the event's success. Volunteers were involved in virtually every aspect of the trials, from directing traffic and monitoring parking lots to ushering and working in hospitality tents. The dedicated volunteers poured energy and enthusiasm into the trials and made it an event to remember.
“Mr. Cliché says the event was a 10. And this wasn't the lowest degree of difficulty,” Sports Commission President Frank Viverito told the Post-Dispatch. “The Sports Commission didn't know exactly what to expect in terms of how the region would respond. That's why we're excited. The expectations were exceeded in every way.”
The article below appeared in the “Letters to the Editor” section of the June 15 edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Gold-Medal Event
Bravo to the organizers of the Olympic Diving Trials at the Rec-Plex in St. Peters. Every aspect of the event was perfectly orchestrated. The spectators were attentive, supportive, and respectful to the divers. The athletes and their coaches responded with kudos for the city. Four hundred volunteers assisted the participants and visitors. Security was ever-present, but unobtrusive. Olympic enthusiasts throughout the United States and abroad focused their attention on St. Peters and Missouri this past week. We can be proud. The gold medal goes to the city of St. Peters.
Betty J. McGinness
St. Louis