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On this episode of the Pursuit of Gold, Laura welcomes her diving coach of thirty years, Kenny Armstrong, to the podcast.\xa0 Not only is he a two time Olympic diver, but he\u2019s also a coach turned father figure who helps aspiring divers get Division One scholarships and even gold medals.\xa0 The pair dive into Armstrong\u2019s origin story as well as his \u2018out of the box\u2019 training style, and why it works. As a young boy, Kenny began his diving career rather uniquely: diving into\xa0 a pond.\xa0 A decade and a half later, he would find himself at the 1972 Olympics, diving in front of a large audience for the first time.\xa0 It wasn\u2019t until the University of Calgary, however, that he got his start coaching.\xa0\xa0

Since then, his career earned Kenny a legacy defined by consistency, adaptability, culture, and fun.\xa0 Like Laura says at the onset of the episode, \u201cA good coach can change the game.\xa0 A great coach can change your life,\u201d\xa0 and for so many athletes, Kenny has done just that.\xa0 Today, he talks about why he loves it all so much, what it is about the sport that gets him excited,\xa0 and why the athletes\u2019 success is far more important than his own.\xa0 Reminiscing on \u2018offbeat\u2019 diving retreats during which he lost half of his squad, his team\u2019s special comradery, moments of victory with Laura, and practicing sports psychology, he notes that the journey always supersedes the destination to him.\xa0 He and Laura strongly hold the belief that the two minutes of victory on the podium are too fleeting to hold onto; it\u2019s the moments in between that really matter.\xa0 So listen to this special conversation to hear about the legend that is Kenny Armstrong and his unique and highly successful career.\xa0\xa0

The Finer Details of this Episode:\xa0

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• Armstrong\u2019s first dives into a pond
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• The \u201872 Olympic Games
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• Reckoning with his international status
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• Getting his coaching start at the University of Calgary
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• Creating culture
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• Why consistency wins
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• Knowing your people and letting them know you
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• Winning gold together\xa0
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• Why the journey > the destination
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• The freedom of diving
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• Father figure and mentor
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Quotes:\xa0

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• \u201cA good coach can change the game.\xa0 A great coach can change your life. I feel like that describes Kenny in a nutshell.\u201d
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• \u201cThese athletes would want us to continue, which was probably true. I mean, if they had a vote\u2026 we'd have been probably still going.\u201d
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• \u201cWell, I finally found out that I could be competitive on an international level. I did pretty well in Nationals and in the Olympic trials.\xa0 Finally, I think the year of 1980, I beat Greg in his home pool.\u201d
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• \u201cEverybody says we have to separate politics and sports, but it's impossible. You can't do it.\u201d
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• \u201cYou have to have a culture. Like it's one thing for me to tell somebody how to win a gold medal. It's another thing if they get to train with somebody that is doing that.\u201d
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• \u201cPeople seem to say about all the greats from different sports that these coaches knew each one of their athletes so well individually, how to push their buttons, or how to back off\u2013 and they had to back off.\u201d\xa0
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• \u201cThis whole culmination of your life has to be about more than two minutes standing on the podium.\u201d
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• \u201cSo don't lose the fun in sport. That's what brings kids, and when they get too serious about it, that takes the fun away. So you've got to be obviously serious, or you're not going to make it, but you have to also be very careful with that.\u201d
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