We've been real fortunate to have good kids. One thing I use as an example is how these kids find reasons to go to practice, instead of reasons to avoid practice. They find ways to set an example.

He's got one of those goals that's way higher than high school. He's so focused on making it to the Olympics. He's one of those rare kids that only come around so often. I absolutely believe he'll make it to that level. That's everything that he works for. That's the way he works out. He never trains for second place.

He and I have a neat rapport. He was trying to set up a deal where, if he broke the state record by 120 points, I'd have to shave my head. We joke around a lot about a lot of things. I want to make high school fun for him because he's diving against some of the top divers in the world and in order to make it fun you have to put goals in there to make it fun.

It is important that we celebrate them coming home and appreciate this as our freedom. They are willing to give their lives and their time with their families for our benefit.

He's not aloof at all. He likes to laugh and joke. There is not an aura of 'I'm better.' He is a concerned teammate.

He came up to me after the state meet and apologized for not breaking the record. There are very few kids who would be at that level. He's never let me down and he's always given me 100 percent of what he could that day. I told him 'you can't break records every day' but he feels like he can do that.