Upcoming Event: Swimming & Diving versus Georgia Tech on January 17, 2026 at 10 a.m. Diving / 11 a.m. Swimming
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10 a.m. Diving / 11 a.m. Swimming
Swimming & Diving
vs Georgia Tech
GoDuke.com Q&A With Lauren Gonzalez
3/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
DURHAM, N.C. - GoDuke.com sat down with diver Lauren Gonzalez recently. A sophomore from Davie, Fla., Gonzalez is an academica All-ACC performer. Gonzalez also created a community service program at Duke called Swim With The Blue Devils.
GoDuke.com: Why did you choose to attend Duke?
Lauren Gonzalez: After coming on a recruiting trip I realized that Duke had the best qualities of all the schools I had liked before it: strong academics and big athletics. It can compete with the Ivy's academically but blows them out of the water when it comes to school spirit. Where else are fans willing to camp out through the winter for just one basketball game?
GD: Describe your most memorable diving experience.
LG: One summer back home in Florida I was learning a reverse 2.5 tuck. My first time doing it up on 10-meter platform it was windy and raining and the weather was only getting worse - a typical afternoon storm in South Florida. Diving 10-meter is scary enough in itself, but add to the fear factor of doing a new dive in less than favorable conditions, and you have an experience you hope you never have to relive.
GD: What is your favorite thing about swimming and diving?
LG: The cohesiveness of the team despite the differences between swimming and diving as sports, is definitely my favorite aspect. People often overlook how different the two are. Other than sharing a “playing field” being the pool, we train and compete completely differently. Comparing the two is as irrational as comparing soccer and football because they both play on a field. What's so great about swimming and diving is that we can contribute to a win through distinct events. One meet as divers we might dominate, contributing a great deal of points to the team total. The next meet we might struggle a little more, but the swimmers are there to make up for it in the lanes.
GD: What do you like to do in your free time?
LG: Watch movies, go out for dinner or to dance, go to the beach when I'm home. This past fall I went rock climbing with the outing club and loved it! I really recommend people giving it a shot and experiencing the rush. I hope to get to do some more of it in my off-season.
GD: If you could pick any other sport to be involved in besides swimming and diving, what would it be?
LG: Probably basketball, especially if I could play for Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium. I'm sometimes jealous my sport doesn't attract the crowds. I couldn't imagine the adrenaline levels our players experience playing in front of so many fans. I guess it can be nerve-racking at times, but it must also provide an incredible source of motivation!
GD: If there was one place in the world you would like to visit where would it be?
LG: Spain and Italy! I will already be studying abroad in Madrid this summer. I'm trying to work out a tour through Italy with my older sister following the end of my session.
GD: What is your favorite sports movie?
LG: “Stick It,” a fairly recent penchant. I watched it with some old gymnastics friends back home over winter break. You really have to have been a gymnast at some point to fully appreciate it; it's a complete satire on the sport.
GD: What's in your iPod right now?
LG: The Fray - I can't wait for their concert in Cary this April! - Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Happy Feet soundtrack; this may sound corny at first glance, but check it out, it's pretty awesome.
GD: What is your favorite food?
LG: My mother's Cuban dishes: breaded steak, “arroz con pollo,” “ropa vieja.” I make requests for this stuff every time I go home. I even tried cooking some of these dishes myself for our diver team dinners. I wasn't too bad, but definitely still have a lot to learn from my mom.
GD: What is your dream job?
LG: To be a physical therapist. I'm shadowing Kerry Mullenix right now in the Yoh training room. I still haven't decided what field I'd be most interested in though; although I love sports I'm also considering pediatrics.
GD: What is the last movie you saw?
LG: A teammate and I rented Pulp Fiction with Will Farrell.
GD: What is your favorite TV show?
LG: Grey's Anatomy - so original, right? Just last fall I was convinced everyone was irrationally obsessed, but after starting to watch over Thanksgiving break, I realized why it's so popular. It is so good! I spent every minute of my training trip that I wasn't in the water catching up on the past three seasons. I guess this signifies I, too, fell into the craze.
GD: Do you have any siblings that play sports?
LG: Not at the collegiate level. My older brother played some baseball as a kid. My older sister was actually the one that suggested I start diving when I decided to give up gymnastics; she was a diver herself. Currently she's pretty hard core about intramural flag football at the University of Florida; she's pretty good too. A little girl with an arm strong enough to play QB for a co-ed team. Can you tell I'm proud?
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