Diver Manny Pollard talks diversity in the sport
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University of Texas graduate assistant coach Manny Pollard. Photo: Courtesy of Manny Pollard
Manny Pollard, a University of Texas graduate assistant diving coach, has big hopes for the future of the sport.
The big picture: Pollard, one of a small number of Black or LGBTQ+ divers, has long dealt with racist comments and the feeling of otherness on the pool deck.
- "No one really understands what that's like for me," he tells Axios. "There's really no Black exposure in the sport whatsoever."
Zoom out: It wasn't until 2021 that USA Diving saw Kristen Hayden become the first Black woman to win a national diving championship.
- Hayden co-founded USA Diving's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council in 2021.
- Diver Michael Wright was the first African American athlete to win a USA Diving national championship in 2010.
Yes, but: Through Instagram, Pollard works to bring diving to a wider audience, including those who previously couldn't see themselves represented in the sport.
- Videos on his page show Pollard cheering on UT's diving athletes, coaching them through flips and dancing around the pool.
What they're saying: He regularly receives messages from parents whose children want to sign up for diving after seeing his page.
- "I didn't have someone like this. I would've loved that — seeing someone who does this sport at a level that I do it at," Pollard says.
- And he hopes his message can help college athletes struggling with their identity: "It's a big deal to have a coach who is also in the LGTBQ community if you're developing your own kind of identity."
Zoom in: Pollard was a Division I diver at the University of Minnesota, where he became a two-time Minnesota Diver of the Year, earned All-American honors three times and scored all four years at the Big Ten Championships in 1-meter, 3-meter and platform competition.
- He spent a year in China with his partner, observing the Beijing Diving Team and teaching English before becoming the head diving coach at the University of Illinois.
- Pollard, who has been at UT since 2021, currently serves as the vice chair of USA Diving's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council.
- He'll graduate with a master's in sports management in May 2024.
What's next: Pollard's dream is to become USA Diving's first Black coach, a goal that UT head coach Matt Scoggin called "very attainable" for him.
- "He'll be a hot commodity" after he graduates, Scoggin predicts.
- Pollard has "a quick and effective diving mind," helping student athletes adjust their technique while still having fun.
The bottom line: Until then, Pollard says he'll continue being his authentic self online and on the pool deck.
- "As long as I can use my experiences in order to uplift other people, that's really my main goal," he said.