Back to school for Boudia

David Boudia can't say he wasn't warned.  

Purdue University swimming coach Dan Ross and diving coach Adam Soldati each told Boudia that his freshman year in college would be his most difficult.

Then Boudia reeled off two national championships, an NCAA Diver of the Year honor, three Big Ten titles and a Big Ten Diver of the Year award. Suffice it to say, those concerns were put to rest.

 Achieving those accomplishments wasn't as easy as Boudia perhaps made it look, but the 2008 Olympian made a good first impression as a freshman.

"I definitely thought that the first semester was difficult because I was just thrown into it and not knowing what to expect," said Boudia, who has graduated to sophomore status this fall.  "There was so much help and I had so many resources to fall back on, I definitely don't think I could have pictured a better way to be right now because my diving has improved, I'm so much more happy and I'm enjoying myself right now."

Boudia claimed NCAA championships in the 3-meter (493.10) and 10-meter platform (530.45). Both scores were meet records and doubled the number of Purdue's swimming and diving national titles from the previous 60 years.

"I went into it definitely wanting to sweep all three," said Boudia, who was also second in the 1-meter event. "It was still a thrill to be there and to have that excitement for Purdue and winning the titles for them."

Winning for Purdue is important, but coaches acknowledge getting Boudia prepared for the London 2012 Olympic Games is of the utmost importance. At the FINA World Championships this summer in Rome, Boudia and partner Thomas Finchum took second in the synchronized 10-meter platform while Boudia finished sixth in the individual 10-meter platform, which marked the highest placement by an American in that event since 1998.

"Every day we need to look at, 'How do you get better as a diver, so when you're in position, you can be standing on the platform in London with an opportunity to medal,' '' Ross said. "That's what everything we do here should be for.

"We're trying to set it up at Purdue University that you can be an Olympian and you can go to that level by being in this environment. Coaches don't make swimmers and divers, but they create an environment of excellence."

USA diver Amanda Miller is training at the Boilermakers Aquatics Center, and when Boudia was being recruited by Purdue, 2004 Olympian Scott Usher was training for the Beijing 2008 Olympics Games in West Lafayette, Ind.

A perk of Purdue's location is that it's just about an hour away from the USA Diving headquarters in Indianapolis. The pool in Indianapolis had been Boudia's training home until he started school at Purdue. He spent this past summer training in Indianapolis with his former coach, John Wingfield, who had coached Boudia from the time he was 11 until he enrolled at Purdue. He also travels to Indianapolis to train synchronized diving with Finchum.

But the main reason Boudia said he came to Purdue was his coach.

"I came here for a reason, and that's Adam," Boudia said, referencing Soldati, who was named NCAA diving coach of the year.  "He's really energetic when he coaches. His technique is spot on and he knows what he's talking about and I trust that.

"They got me at Purdue and I think they can definitely get many more elite athletes here."

Soldati has coached four international medalists during his time working at the USA Diving National Training Center outside Houston. His wife, Kimiko, was a diver who competed in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

Boudia's titles and the margin he won them by are made more impressive considering he missed three weeks of training during the season with a thumb injury.

"He could have easily not won at Big Tens or NCAAs, but that is how tough and motivated he is," Ross said. "He can focus on the task at hand and do a good job even when he's not at his best.

"He wasn't really near his best at (Nationals) or the Big Ten just because he hadn't really trained. It just shows you the mental power of the guy."

Soldati said Boudia has worked with sports psychologists and knows the importance of the mental aspect of diving.

"He knows how to keep his heart rate and his tempo very consistent," Soldati said. "His approach is excellence. He has a commitment to excellence. He's not satisfied when he comes in and he does a dive for an 8.5. He wants a 10."

Soldati said Boudia is practicing well.

"Our goal is to do every dive on our list and receive a 10 on it," he said. "Hopefully in multiple meets, but let's do it in one first. He's capable of doing that-doing every dive on his list for a 10."

Boudia said his main goal currently is to focus on one thing.

"The biggest thing in diving is consistency," Boudia said. "I've improved so much with that this year and I just need to continue doing the consistency and to continue to work on my mental training. I think if I continue to do that then 2012 will be very successful."

Coming in with Olympic experience brings many questions from people Boudia might meet on any given day.

"People just ask me, 'How were the Olympics?' " Boudia said. "That's a general question because I was there for a month and so much happened. In and outside of the pool there were so many different things going on. Overall, the experience was phenomenal and I wouldn't change anything."

Boudia sifts through numerous interview requests and invitations to speak at various schools and other groups in the community.

Hectic? Sure, but Boudia wouldn't change anything.     

"It's definitely been an awesome road to have," Boudia said. "Being an Olympian, it's part of what goes along with it-to go and speak and to do it in a fashion where you want to be represented. It's exciting to get this notoriety and it's exciting because I can kind of put it in the pool and it helps me work harder."

The college freshman added that a sense of pride and responsibility comes with being a U.S. Olympian.

"It's both of those," Boudia said. "You have so much pride wearing your country's colors and having USA on your back you want to present yourself as best as you can for the United States because everyone is rooting for you back home. It's definitely an honor to do that."

Coming in as a freshman with Olympic experience adds to the expectation level surrounding Boudia, but does not equal the peak of that measurement.

"When you're representing your country at the Olympic Games, I don't know if the pressure gets a whole lot more than that," Soldati said. "When you've got your whole country resting on your shoulders-if you can learn how to handle that, you can certainly learn how to handle the expectations of Purdue University wanting you to win Big Ten and NCAA titles."

Boudia's senior year at Purdue will be the 2011-12 season, pushing right up against the London 2012 Olympic Games.

"I'm not quite sure what I'll do that Olympic year-if I'll redshirt or not redshirt," Boudia said. "Right now, we're going to see what happens and take it one year at a time."

His future goals are to accomplish, essentially, what he did this year: win titles.

"Future goals are to definitely win more Big Ten and NCAA titles," Boudia said. "Hopefully getting the swimming and diving programs up in the ranks at Big Tens and NCAAs."

But standing on the medal stand during the 2012 London Olympics is Boudia's ultimate goal.

"I think that's every athlete's dream to be on that podium," he said. "I can definitely close my eyes right now and see it, so I think that's a positive thing."

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Brian Peloza is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of the United States Olympic Committee or any National Governing Bodies.

Tags: David Boudia , USA Diving