Visualizing victory

Drew Livingston, a 2008 graduate of The Woodlands High School, completed his senior season on The University of Texas swimming and diving team by winning another NCAA title in the 1-meter springboard. He is an NCAA diving champion, USA national champion and seven-time NCAA All-American for the Longhorns.

Q: How did you get your start in diving?

A: “When I was 6 years old, I got dragged to the pool to watch my sister’s diving practices. (She was 10 at the time). I was annoying my mom, so she threw me into lessons so she didn’t have to deal with me.

“I kind of just stuck with the sport until high school. Around that time I got serious about diving, practicing six days a week, and I took off. I always liked sports like baseball and basketball better when I was younger. I never really hit a growth spurt, so diving was a natural fit for me. If you told me what I would accomplish by 21 when I was 13, I wouldn’t believe you. Diving has taken me to great places, and I’m thankful for everyone who has supported my journey.”

Q: Do you have a routine that you use before diving meets?
A: “I always have to go get a big steak before a meet. That’s a must. Other than that, I’ll crank my favorite music, say the same prayer before the competition and visualize how I’m going to perform each dive. Visualization does wonders.

“Diving is a lot like golf. Golfers have their routines before each shot. They take their practice swings, visualize the shot and address the ball. Before each dive, I get my muscles warm, visualize the dive and get myself ready to perform. Not to mention there’s a scoreboard in both sports, and I’m too competitive not to look at where I stand compared to the rest of the field.”

This story appears in the May 2012 edition of Motivate.