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KIMIKO SOLDATI
NO ICE PACK
Actually I should get one, I didn’t think about it. Can my husband get me one?
Is Adam around?
AFTER SECOND DIVE FEELINGS?
I certainly made it interesting didn’t I? Actually I was OK with it because I
had an incredible start on that dive, and I just don’t get that enough in
practice so I wasn’t quite sure to do with it because it was booking (moving
very fast). I missed it, but I handled it well. I just let it go. I wasn’t
worried about it. Knew I could come back. I had three solid, solid dives coming
up. That’s the nature of this game, learning to stay in the moment, not get
ahead of yourself and take it one dive at a time. I was just enjoying it. I had
a blast.
HOW DO YOU LET GO?
I let myself think about it for probably about 30 seconds after the dive and say
‘OK, that’s it, move on. Dive’s over, there’s nothing I can do about it. Whether
it’s great or bad it’s the same. I put my music on, get into my pre-dive
routine.
MUSIC CHOICES?
All different kinds. Some Christian music. Some rap. Just depends. Old 80s
music, some hard rock depending on the mood. And if I kind of get a song I feel
really good with I just repeat song over, and over whether the contest is 5
hours long.
TODAY
Kind of a newer song by Usher? Don’t even know the name of it.
HAD ONE SONG FOR THE SECOND DIVE, AND THEN?
Didn’t throw it away. Stuck with it. Kept me upbeat and had a good time.
UP TODAY
I was juiced today. I felt like King Kong on the board. I felt really strong and
that’s where I need to be. Looking back, after missing that dive, staying tough
and coming back and not letting it get to me and that’s what it’s going to take
(in Athens).
ANY HOLDOVER EMOTION, MOTIVATION AFTER FINISHING SECOND IN SYNCRO?
Not necessarily. I was disappointed, but I trust God’s plan. I don’t understand
it. I really thought He wanted me at Olympic Games in syncro with Laura, but
that’s OK. I accept that. I had to move on. I did a good job of letting it go. I
cried my eyes out after that event, dropped it and I had two more events. After
this I’ve got to go home and re-ground myself and go for one more event. Maybe I
came in, not angry but, I wanted to get on an Olympic team. That’s what I’m here
for. And so I came in pretty determined to do everything I can, scratch and
scrape and do everything I can possibly do to put myself in a position and Thank
God I’m on it.
WHEN DID YOU GET STARTED IN DIVING
Started when I was 18. Late starter. In gymnastics. In and out of injuries for
4-5 years.
WHEN YOU STARTED DID YOU IMAGINE IT WOULD TAKE YOU TIL 30 (TO MAKE OLYMPIC
TEAM)?
No, actually, but when I started I didn’t even know that this kind of diving
existed out there. And once I got in there and realized that, wow, there’s US
Diving, and WOW, Olympics and things like this. My dream since I was a little
girl any athlete was to go to Olympics, but I always thought it was going to be
gymnastics. I had no idea God had another plan and got me into the sport of
diving.
HOW FAR DID YOU GET IN GYMNASTICS
It was so long ago. Believe I got to the regional and zone level, back when it
was classes, not levels. I was a Class 1 gymnast.
NOW THAT YOU’VE MADE THE TEAM, YOUR FEELINGS?
Beyond words, it really is. I feel very grateful, that’s one word to sum it up,
to be even standing here considering career, what I’ve been through with the
sport and the injuries and the frustration. Any champion is going to go through
these things and hit obstacles, but it’s the champions who turn it around and
make them opportunities. I’ve been graced by God to be able overcome my injuries
and overcome the frustrations to get me to this point. And you know what? It’s a
lot of hard work, and it’s so nice to see it finally paid off because I have
worked my rear end to get to this point. Everyone has.
DID YOU KNOW YOU HAD IT WON WHEN YOU HIT WATER ON THE LAST DIVE?
I had a feeling. I wasn’t sure. I was so elated. I felt good, I felt confident
and I hit the dive and I came out of the water and I saw Kenny (Armstrong, her
coach) come out of his chair, I knew and I turned to my family and pointed at
them and blew kisses to them because my support system is awesome. I wouldn’t be
here if it weren’t for my husband and my family and my church and my friends,
but mostly I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the grace of God.
DID YOU THINK ABOUT IT BEING HER LAST REAL CHANCE TO MAKE THE TEAM?
I was really trying to take in the moment and focus on. . . I tried to make it
simple and focus on technique. But it was also neat because I didn’t look at it
as ‘Oh my gosh, this is the last dive. I have to hit this to make an Olympic
team.’ I thought ‘Oh cool! I’m going to hit this and I’m going to make an
Olympic team.’”
DID SHE KNOW SCORE?
Actually I didn’t know where I was point-wise the whole time. I had no idea. I
knew it was going to be tight, especially after I missed my second dive, but I
still had absolutely no idea where I was going in . . . which is kind of a nice
place to be.
DISADVANTAGES TO BEING LATE-COMER?
Don’t know how many more years of diving I may have in me? I don’t know if this
is going to be the end come August or not. I’m going to leave it open. I just
hope it gives some hope to athletes out there that dreams do come true. It
doesn’t matter what your age, or anything like that. I look at it, from my
perspective: You work hard, you pour your heart into it, you have a passion for
what you do. And leave it to God, and amazing things can happen. I truly believe
it. Everything is possible for him who believes. I hope that’s the message I can
give to kids or people, sport or non-sport alike.
ANY IRONY OF THE FACT THAT HER FATHER WAS BORN IN A JAPANESE INTERNMENT CAMP
DURING WWII AND SHE’S NOW REPRESENTING THE UNITED STATES?
I don’t think I’ve digested that. I am proud of my heritage, proud of my family.
They are all here. Don’t know if you saw them but I have a whole crowd (more
than 30) of Japanese-Americans cheering for me. My family is extremely important
to me, and their support and their love for what I do and their unconditional
love, because whether I made this Olympic team or didn’t make this Olympic team
I knew they were proud of me.
DO THEY EVER ASK WHY YOU ARE STILL DOING THIS?
They don’t say it to my face . . . but I’m sure they do say that, and if
somebody else would ask me I would say that I don’t feel my potential yet, and I
believe that God has called me to do this right now and that he’s blessed me to
be able to dive right now. And I believe I’m going to keep doing that until I
feel like it’s time to move on.
TRACE CAREER STEPS
I was at Colorado State for two years. That’s pretty much where I started
diving. First time I stepped on a 3-meter board actually was at Colorado State.
Then I transferred to Indiana University where Jeff Huber was the coach.
Transferred for a couple of different reasons. First for schooling (majored in
exercise science) and also I wanted to get into a little bit larger diving
school and one that had platforms. Redshirted my first year, got injured went
through a couple of shoulder surgeries. I was out of diving for about three
years. Came back in December 1999. Got on tower. Here I was – Sydney Olympics
coming up and I wasn’t even qualified for the Trials. I tried everything I could
to get ready in a few months to make those trials and didn’t make it. But that’s
OK, there’s a reason for that. After the 2000 games, my husband and I decided to
move down to The Woodlands and Kenny Armstrong. That was a leap of faith. We had
no place to live, we didn’t no what we were going to do. We had no idea, but I
just knew that I wanted to put myself in the best opportunity to train with the
best divers in the nation and give me an opportunity to get on the team and win
a gold medal. It was amazing, my husband (Adam) 100 percent supported me, and
didn’t question it once. And I can’t thank him enough for that. We picked up and
left. He stayed back in Indiana and took care of some things for a couple of
months while I moved down to Texas. Friends of my family (Don and Peggy
Yarborough) took us in up in Conroe, Texas and we lived with them for almost a
year while we were trying to find a place to live, trying to get jobs and while
I was training with Kenny. It’s been awesome down there. I’m so happy that I
followed my heart to Texas. So many athletes go through changes, and I will not,
can’t look back on my career and have a regret because I’ve followed my heart on
every decision I’ve made.
ADAM WAS AN ASSISTANT COACH AT INDIANA (AND DIDN’T GET A JOB AS A COACH AT THE
WOODLANDS UNTIL A YEAR AFTER HE GOT THERE)?
He was. It was a great job and he was willing to leave that for me and my dream.
HOW MANY (RIGHT) SHOULDER SURGERIES?
Four surgeries. Two in the last 18 months.
Original injury came (at Indiana in 1996) when I hit the water off the platform
and my right arm jerked behind my head and ripped my bicep off. Had to reattach
the bicep. I’ve done that twice. And a rotator cuff and all kinds of other
stuff. I shouldn’t have been up there. I really didn’t know what I was doing.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT?
There are a lot of questions like ‘Why do you keep trying to come back’ surgery
after surgery after surgery (she also had reconstructive knee surgery after a
gymastics mishap). I have a fire and a passion for my dream and I knew I hadn’t
begun to reach my potential. . . . That, and I love diving, the activity and the
sport of it and the people and the friendships?
WHERE DID YOU GET THE OLYMPIC RING?
Laura put it on me right after I got out of the pool, which was so wonderful.
I’m not sure even this has sunk in. I guess it’s a tradition where you get the
ring when you make the team, then pass it on to the next person to make it.
Eventually I’ll get my own ring, I’ll give this one back to Laura . . . and pass
mine on to someone at the next trials.
YOU
DON’T HAVE A DAY OFF THIS WEEK?: “Actually, I get Friday off. The only day off.”
ON COMPETING IN SO MANY EVENTS: “I really feel I have a lot of potential in all
of the events. And, I love doing all of them. I don’t think I could pick and
chose if I had to really narrow it down, so I figure I will come in here and
give it my shot in all three events and see what happens.”
ON DIVING TRIALS: “It is so fun and so exciting to have a big team here, and not
just centralized training. It is such a great experience to come in here and
take it all in. That is the key to this competition to really enjoy it and enjoy
the process.”
ON SYNCHRO EVENTS: “I think having the synchronized event with a teammate and
one of your best friends out there, it does lighten it up a little bit. And, it
is nice to split up some of the individual events, which are pretty intense.
And, synchronized is easy to have a lot more fun, being able to dive synchro
with Laura (Wilkinson), we are just up there having a blast and enjoying the
process.”
ON VOLUNTARY DIVES: “It is about what I have been averaging. I was hoping to go
a little bit higher in my point total. I am not out there diving against anybody
but myself. So, I am disappointed in a couple of my dives in the required and
optional rounds. But, I have another opportunity to do the optionals again in
the finals, and they will be better. I am satisfied with they way everything
went. Considering competing last night and being here until
10:30 and getting up and competing for three more hours until
10 o’clock tonight
again. It is really difficult to stay focused.”
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