Nov. 23, 2010
Senior diver Heidi Grossman will serve as one of three team captains for the Notre Dame women’s swimming team during the 2010-11 campaign. The lone senior among the Irish divers, Grossman is coming off a junior year that saw her finish fourth at the BIG EAST Championship in both the one and three-meter diving competitions. Her score of 282.25 on the one-meter board was a personal best for the Barrington, Rhode Island native. A two-time all-BIG EAST selection, Grossman and the Irish divers will next be in action from Dec. 3-5 when they compete at the Iowa Invitational in Iowa City, Iowa. Following her last outing on Nov. 12 versus Utah where she finished second in both the one and three meter diving events, Heidi had a chance to sit down with und.com’s Vicky Jacobsen to talk about herself and her career at Notre Dame.
How old were you when you began diving and what drew you to the event? When I was 12, I watched Laura Wilkinson win gold in platform diving at the Olympics and was inspired to start diving. At that point I had also been a gymnast for a number of years but was ready to try another related sport.
What do you enjoy most about diving? I love doing well in competition. Having a good meet is encouraging because all the hard work put in to practice pays off. I also love the adrenaline rush I get off the board.
What is your favorite event to compete in? My favorite event is the one-meter. I am consistent on that event, and I enjoy the list I compete on one-meter.
What was the coolest place you have traveled to for a competition? Each year, we travel over winter break for training. In the past, we have gone to Fort Lauderdale and Puerto Rico, and I am looking forward to training in Hawaii this winter break. It is great to be able to focus completely on diving, with no other commitments to distract from training. We also compete at least once while on training trip, either with a team there or one also visiting for training purposes.
What is your least favorite part of practice or training? My least favorite thing is getting up early! Morning practices are definitely the most difficult to get motivated for.
What achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of diving for Notre Dame. I love the program and my teammates, and feel lucky to have the opportunity to succeed here. I am also most proud of my performances at Big East; I have twice made the All-Big East team.
What’s the best advice you have ever received? My parents have always stressed to take things as they come, one at a time. In diving this has been very important, as you cannot let a bad dive ruin a meet. You have to move on and look to the next dive. In life, that advice has also taught me not to get overwhelmed by a busy schedule, and to really focus on one thing at a time.
What advice would you give a freshman student at Notre Dame? I would tell them to make sure to take advantage of everything that Notre Dame has to offer. From football weekends to interesting classes, to dorm events, I have had a great four years because I’ve tried to try lots of different things on campus.
What is your favorite sport apart from swimming and diving? My other favorite sport is field hockey – I played in high school and definitely miss it!
What is one sport or activity you would like to try in the future? I would love to get more involved with triathlons when I have the time to train for them.
Why did you choose to come to Notre Dame? Notre Dame had everything I was looking for in a university. It has a strong spiritual aspect to it, unparalleled traditions, and a history of both academic and athletic success.
What is your favorite Notre Dame tradition? I love singing the Alma Mater with the student section at the end of every football game. No matter how the team is doing, everyone values that tradition and stays until the end to sing it.
What is your favorite spot on campus? Like most students, I love the grotto, especially late at night when no one else is there.
What will you miss most about Notre Dame after graduation? I will definitely miss my friends! It has been a great experience getting to know people from different parts of the country, but that also means we will all probably be in different cities next year!
If you could live anywhere on earth, where would it be? I would split my time between my home state of Rhode Island and traveling the world.
What would your dream job be? Right now it would be anything that pays! But I would love to work with sports, whether in administration or marketing.
What was the most interesting book you have read for a class? “Snow Falling on Cedars” was one of the best books I have read for class.
Do you have any unusual skills or talents? My teammates and I are all good at the trampoline and play add-a-trick whenever we can.
If you were given three wishes, what would you wish for? I wish our team wins Big East for the fifteenth time this year; I wish for Notre Dame to win a national football championship and I wish for a job that would give me the flexibility to travel all over the world.
What is your favorite cartoon character? My favorite cartoon character is Mini Mouse.