INDIANAPOLIS — When Amy Cozad graduated from Decatur Central High School, she knew she loved diving, but she had not yet dreamed of going to the Olympics. It wasn’t until college, at Indiana University, that she started eyeing Team USA.

After watching Amy dive, her IU diving coach at the time, Jeff Huber, told her she had incredible potential.   Potential to not only win for Indiana University – but possibly Team USA.

That’s all it took to get Amy to focus on the gold.  She is now hoping to prove that potential by earning a spot on Team USA during  this weekend’s Diving Olympic Trials at the IUPUI Natatorium.  Amy competes in the 10M Platform and 10M Synchro with partner, IU diver Jessica Parratto.  Cozad is currently one of the top divers in the country – and this year she is even more focused after just missing out on the London Olympics.  She is a six-time national champion in synchronized 10m platform diving

Amy has come a long way since she first started diving at 11 years old.

“I remember the first time I jumped off the 10 meter and said I would never do it again. I was terrified.  It hurt when I hit the water! No way I am ever doing it again,” she told sports director Dave Calabro when he visited Amy, her fiancé and their dogs at their southwest side home.

Not only did she get right back up on that 10 meter platform – she now spends several hours six days a week perfecting her dive, her entry, her focus and her strength.  She drives the two hours to Bloomington and back to practice with IU diving coach Drew Johansen – and several other elite divers who have the potential to make the Olympic team.

She says Johansen is key to her drive to make that team. “It’s cool to have a coach that the day’s not over when practice is over. 24 hours every day, every week, every year he is trying to make us a better diver and he’s trying to make himself a better coach.  You can’t find that anywhere else.”

Amy graduated from IU in 2013 with a degree in math.  She left Indiana to work in Florida after she graduated but jumped at the chance to return to her home and train under Johansen.

Amy is happy to be back in Indiana.  She’s crazy about her two dogs, Manny and B.  They’re there to greet her after long days of diving practice.  Even better,  the 25-year old is engaged to Alex Magana. He’s her number one fan. The two meet in high school – and are planning a September wedding.

Amy says she loves diving because it’s the closest you can get to flying. “It’s free.  Imagine jumping as high as you can, as hard as you can and then- nothing.  You can’t do anymore work.  You’re doing your dive.  You’re just falling.  You’re trying to distract yourself from the fall and from the water by paying attention to your dive, your form.  Imagine just jumping off and feeling completely weightless and all of a sudden you hit the water and that kind of hurts sometimes,” Amy laughs, “but it’s worth it for that 2 seconds of nothing. “

During that “two seconds of nothing” and 33mph fall, Amy says it’s pretty amazing what all the divers have to do, “we jump up and while we’re doing one flip we’re doing 1 ½ twists and after we complete that task we have another 1 ½ flips to do and the whole time to just manage to go in straight up and down on our head. It’s pretty incredible.”

Pretty incredible – and even more so if she can do all of that in Rio.

Source: WTHR