University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Chris Colwill
June 08, 2020 | Swimming & Diving, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
After competing under Georgia diving coach Dan Laak for many years, both as a Bulldog and a post-collegiate, to extraordinary success, Chris Colwill took over for his former coach nearly two years ago. Colwill was the perfect fit to replace Laak, a coaching legend who left to become the USA Diving High Performance Director after 31 years at Georgia.
Colwill, inducted into Georgia's Circle of Honor in 2018, won three NCAA diving titles during his Bulldog career (2004-08) and then went on to compete at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and in London in 2012. From the juniors to winning the 3-meter at the 2012 Olympic Trials, he was a 10-time national champion. Now, he's using all of that experience and wisdom to help the next crop of great Georgia divers.
During a recent Quick Chat, Colwill talked about his first two seasons as a college coach, life under quarantine, cooking and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: What have the past couple of months been like for you?
Colwill: It's been interesting, that's for sure. It's been pretty tough but I'm just trying each day to stick to my routine, knowing that this will all be over at some point and we can resume normalcy or the new normal.
Frierson: How are you filling your time? Are you picking up any new hobbies or reacquainting yourself with any old ones?
Colwill: Actually, I've done a lot of work on my house, which needed to be done. I also bought a Green Egg and I've been reading a lot of recipe books and learning how to grill and smoke meat. I've been spending a lot of time doing that.
Frierson: What's the best thing you've cooked so far?
Colwill: I think right now my favorite is the smoked chicken. I've done some shrimp and sausage and they've been turning out pretty well, and I actually made some really good burgers the other day.
Frierson: This was supposed to be an Olympic year, so for you do Olympic memories come flooding back every four years?
Colwill: They do. It is a shame that everybody was working so hard to prepare for the Olympic Trials and the Olympics, and when you get so close to the Olympics the stress level is beyond anything.
There are a lot of memories, for sure. I don't know if there's anything specific, it's just the experiences I shared with Dan. The good times and the bad times — I wouldn't say bad, but the tough times because the Olympics were certainly stressful. Some of the memories of working together, those I always reflect on and appreciate.
Frierson: Of all the places that you competed around the world, is there one that you want to go back to and experience as a visitor and not a competitor?
Colwill: I would say my best experience was my first experience at an international meet, the World Cup in Changshu, China, in 2006. I placed third on the 1-meter and fourth on the 3-meter, and that was a great memory because that was when I realized my potential as an international-level diver.
One of my most fun trips was the World Championships in Rome, Italy, in 2009. It was at a fantastic venue, an outdoor facility, and all the divers were training really hard and competing at the best level, and we all shared a common goal. There's just really nothing else like that and I'd love to go back to Rome and visit the city a lot more.
Frierson: Now that you're a couple of years into your Georgia coaching career, has coaching been about what you expected or maybe a little different?
Colwill: It's definitely different in some ways. I had been coaching for several years prior to coming back to Georgia and I think the hardest part, or what I didn't realize (about collegiate coaching), was trying to understand what makes every diver tick and what they're goals are.
I think sometimes if we have different goals it can get a little off track a little bit. Communication is the key just like anything else and you've got to do it on a regular basis. Coaching student-athletes is definitely rewarding, especially when things go well.
Frierson: What are you most looking forward to doing once life gets back to normal?
Colwill: I miss coaching a lot. Being two-and-a-half months out of pocket and not knowing what to expect and when we're all going to get back, and accepting the new normal and accepting that we don't know what's going to happen in the future, all of that presents its challenges.
I think it's important that whenever we get together we just try to make sure we're all on the same plan and we just try to focus on what we want and what's our endgame, and we just try to achieve that. You just try to do the best that you can and try to plan for it.
Frierson: If you could be great at anything for a day, just to experience it, what would it be?
Colwill: I guess the real answer is that if I could be great at golf for one day and have a really good score at a really hard course, that would be cool. I feel like that might be something simple.
I really just want to try to be the best coach that I can be and the best person that I can be and just try to make a difference in everyone's lives.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
After competing under Georgia diving coach Dan Laak for many years, both as a Bulldog and a post-collegiate, to extraordinary success, Chris Colwill took over for his former coach nearly two years ago. Colwill was the perfect fit to replace Laak, a coaching legend who left to become the USA Diving High Performance Director after 31 years at Georgia.
Colwill, inducted into Georgia's Circle of Honor in 2018, won three NCAA diving titles during his Bulldog career (2004-08) and then went on to compete at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and in London in 2012. From the juniors to winning the 3-meter at the 2012 Olympic Trials, he was a 10-time national champion. Now, he's using all of that experience and wisdom to help the next crop of great Georgia divers.
During a recent Quick Chat, Colwill talked about his first two seasons as a college coach, life under quarantine, cooking and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: What have the past couple of months been like for you?
Colwill: It's been interesting, that's for sure. It's been pretty tough but I'm just trying each day to stick to my routine, knowing that this will all be over at some point and we can resume normalcy or the new normal.
Frierson: How are you filling your time? Are you picking up any new hobbies or reacquainting yourself with any old ones?
Colwill: Actually, I've done a lot of work on my house, which needed to be done. I also bought a Green Egg and I've been reading a lot of recipe books and learning how to grill and smoke meat. I've been spending a lot of time doing that.
Frierson: What's the best thing you've cooked so far?
Colwill: I think right now my favorite is the smoked chicken. I've done some shrimp and sausage and they've been turning out pretty well, and I actually made some really good burgers the other day.
Frierson: This was supposed to be an Olympic year, so for you do Olympic memories come flooding back every four years?
Colwill: They do. It is a shame that everybody was working so hard to prepare for the Olympic Trials and the Olympics, and when you get so close to the Olympics the stress level is beyond anything.
There are a lot of memories, for sure. I don't know if there's anything specific, it's just the experiences I shared with Dan. The good times and the bad times — I wouldn't say bad, but the tough times because the Olympics were certainly stressful. Some of the memories of working together, those I always reflect on and appreciate.
Frierson: Of all the places that you competed around the world, is there one that you want to go back to and experience as a visitor and not a competitor?
Colwill: I would say my best experience was my first experience at an international meet, the World Cup in Changshu, China, in 2006. I placed third on the 1-meter and fourth on the 3-meter, and that was a great memory because that was when I realized my potential as an international-level diver.
One of my most fun trips was the World Championships in Rome, Italy, in 2009. It was at a fantastic venue, an outdoor facility, and all the divers were training really hard and competing at the best level, and we all shared a common goal. There's just really nothing else like that and I'd love to go back to Rome and visit the city a lot more.
Frierson: Now that you're a couple of years into your Georgia coaching career, has coaching been about what you expected or maybe a little different?
Colwill: It's definitely different in some ways. I had been coaching for several years prior to coming back to Georgia and I think the hardest part, or what I didn't realize (about collegiate coaching), was trying to understand what makes every diver tick and what they're goals are.
I think sometimes if we have different goals it can get a little off track a little bit. Communication is the key just like anything else and you've got to do it on a regular basis. Coaching student-athletes is definitely rewarding, especially when things go well.
Frierson: What are you most looking forward to doing once life gets back to normal?
Colwill: I miss coaching a lot. Being two-and-a-half months out of pocket and not knowing what to expect and when we're all going to get back, and accepting the new normal and accepting that we don't know what's going to happen in the future, all of that presents its challenges.
I think it's important that whenever we get together we just try to make sure we're all on the same plan and we just try to focus on what we want and what's our endgame, and we just try to achieve that. You just try to do the best that you can and try to plan for it.
Frierson: If you could be great at anything for a day, just to experience it, what would it be?
Colwill: I guess the real answer is that if I could be great at golf for one day and have a really good score at a really hard course, that would be cool. I feel like that might be something simple.
I really just want to try to be the best coach that I can be and the best person that I can be and just try to make a difference in everyone's lives.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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