How Chris Blue and former Olympians made Diving Trials at UT Aquatic Center special

To listen to Allan Jones Aquatic Center director Marshall Goldman talk, he had his own top-of-the-platform feeling just hosting the U.S. Olympic Diving Trials at the University of Tennessee facility recently.

“To see people make the Olympic team and to host the Olympic Trials and watch people cry, for a Knoxville boy there is nothing better,” he said.

From June 17-23 – with a break on June 19 – the campus venue in Knoxville was the center of the American diving universe, as 11 divers qualified for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris.

Making the team were Delaney Schnell, Katrina Young, Tyler Downs, Andrew Capobianco, Brandon Loschiavo, Jordan Windle, Krysta Palmer, Hailey Hernandez, Michael Hixon, Jessica Parratto, and Alison Gibson. Each had his or her own dream-come-true story, with a few tears of joy sprinkled among the splashes of pool water in the springboard and platform competitions.

And Goldman and other UT officials had their own deep sense of fulfillment as well – along with some pats on their backs. “NBC was extremely happy with us and said it was the best Trials they have ever been a part of,” Goldman excitedly said as he reflected over the phone a few days after the competition ended.

He praised UT and Athletics Director Danny White for helping lead the way in hosting it along with Visit Knoxville and in coordination with USA Diving and NBC Sports. However, he still had to work almost as hard as the divers did in training. At one point he was there nearly two days straight, he said, with only an intern, some summer lifeguards and building staff on hand directly helping him. Longtime UT diving coach Dave Parrington was also on site.

But it still seemed fulfilling in a fun sort of way. “It was a lot of work for sure,” he said. “But to be able to give that experience to Knoxville was worth it.”

Among the anecdotal highlights was the Saturday that Chris Blue, Knoxville’s former winner of “The Voice,” sang the national anthem, and former UT diver and “Ninja Warrior” TV contestant Mike Wright was welcomed.

“That was the loudest it had been all week,” he said of Wright’s introduction, hinting that the applause was as rewarding for UT officials as were the claps for the divers after good dives.

He said the ticketed event did suffer with attendance on some days because the UT baseball team was also playing in the College World Series. But plenty were watching both on TV. Goldman said he learned 3 million people watched the second game of the College World Series on June 23, and 4 million the diving taking place at the same time.

“Seven million people were watching Tennessee stuff,” he said proudly, adding that one night of diving airing right after the Swimming Trials even drew more than a typical college football game viewership.

NBC Sports had also complimented on air UT’s efforts at hanging banners inside the center for the top Olympic diving qualifiers right after their events. It was an effort that Goldman said involved having several possible pictures printed, and quickly ironing on the honorees’ photos shortly after the event with the help of the facility staff.

And some memorable activities occurred outside the Jones Center. On the day off from competition, some official and traveling Olympic rings were placed in Market Square, and Goldman said people lined up to take pictures.

A special five-decades-like reunion was also held to remember the 1976 Olympic Diving Trials that took place outdoors at the adjacent and updated Student Aquatic Center, with many of those former divers on hand. “It was kind of cool, kind of like a 50 ^th reunion,” he said. Women’s gold medalist Jenny Chandler and bronze medalist and commentator Cynthia Potter were among those there.

A special poster commemorating the 1976 event and the current Trials was also available for the Olympians to sign.

“We did some things USA Diving had never seen before,” Goldman said.

He added that interacting some with the current divers was also enjoyable, saying that they were very easy to work with.

While the Jones Center did host an Olympic diving partial selection camp in 2008 when the building was new, and a USA Olympics swimming training camp with star Michael Phelps was held in 2012, this was the first time a full Olympic Trials event had been in the building.

He said the center and UT would also enjoy hosting the event again in four years, but a few issues will have to be worked out. He added that they should know by January their status.

But for now, Goldman is enjoying looking back at those few busy days in June.

“To me it was amazing to see it all come together,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Chris Blue and former Olympians made Diving Trials at UT Aquatic Center special