2026 Symposium Presentation Descriptions
The Coach’s Guide to Fueling Divers: Simple nutrition strategies for practices, meets, and
everything in between
Great coaching goes beyond teaching dives… it also means helping athletes show up fueled, recovered, and ready to perform. In this session, coaches will learn the fundamentals of sports nutrition and how to apply them both on and off the pool deck. We’ll simplify carbohydrates, protein, and fat, explore the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Performance Plates, and discuss practical fueling strategies before, during, and after practice. Coaches will also leave with sample training and competition meal plans, travel nutrition tips, and simple tools to help athletes maximize energy, recovery, and performance without overcomplicating nutrition. Whether you’re coaching age-group, high school, collegiate, or Masters divers, you’ll walk away with practical strategies you can immediately implement to help your athletes train harder, recover better, and compete with confidence.
ABOUT MAGGY
Maggy Doherty, MS, RD, LD, CEDS-C, is a Registered Dietitian, sports nutrition and eating disorders expert, and former NCAA Division I diver at UCLA with more than 27 years of experience in the sport of diving. Since first stepping onto the pool deck in second grade, she’s experienced diving from nearly every perspective—as an athlete, coach, judge, commentator, and now sports dietitian. Maggy is passionate about helping athletes fuel for peak performance while building a healthy relationship with food. She founded and led a 30-person dietetics practice in Texas, specializes in eating disorder treatment and sports nutrition, and continues to compete as a USA Diving Masters athlete. (And yes, she can still throw a 305C and 405C on 3-meter!)
The Quest for the Perfect Dive: From Coaching Philosophy to Program Design
In his presentation, Mitch will trace how that enduring technical ideal shaped the training methods, coach and athlete education, club structures and national development programs he helped build—from Thunder Bay, Ontario and Victoria, British Columbia, to Diving Canada’s high-performance system, which produced podium performances at eight consecutive Olympic Games, from Atlanta 1996 through Paris 2024. He will explore the value of identifying the core purpose behind one’s coaching and using it as a consistent touchstone for decisions, new initiatives, and long-term program direction.
ABOUT MITCH
Mitch Geller began his coaching career with a simple quest: to teach young Canadian divers the mechanics that form the foundation of the elusive perfect dive—efficient application of force, maximum energy return, economical movement in the air and a precisely controlled entry.
Are You Creating a System to Make Better Decisions?
In high-performance environments, sport, business, and leadership, decision-making is often
discussed but rarely systemized. Under pressure, individuals and organizations tend to rely on
instinct, habit, ego, or urgency rather than a repeatable process that produces better outcomes.
This session explores how leaders, coaches, and practitioners can move beyond just your “gut
instinct” and create intentional decision-making systems that hold up when the game speeds
up.
Drawing from applied work in elite sport and organizational leadership, this presentation
reframes decision-making as a skill that can be trained, tested, and refined. Participants will
examine why poor decisions are often the first sign of pressure, how ego and emotion quietly
distort judgment, and why understanding how we decide is just as important as what we
decide. The session integrates concepts from leadership and problem-solving research to help
attendees better position themselves and those they lead when decisions matter most.
ABOUT MIKE
Michael “Romo” Romanella specializes in driving performance for elite athletes, coaches,
corporate leaders, and individuals pursuing high-level personal growth. By utilizing
evidence-based practices and interactive frameworks, he fosters cultures of continuous
improvement that yield unparalleled success across competitive domains.
Romanella has worked on mental performance with NBA, NFL, and NCAA teams.
The Ripple Effect: Community Outreach in Action
Learn who influences pool development, how Congress gets involved in Sports,
and have the opportunity to send an email to your Members of Congress, write your local elected leaders about
resources you need to help diving grow in your community, and draft an email to your families encouraging them to
help you raise awareness for diving in your local area. Bring your laptop or mobile device!
ABOUT STACEY
In addition to being a dive parent for more than 15 years, and a passionate volunteer within the diving community at all levels, Stacey Brooks has funded her daughters’ diving through a 30+ year career in legislative affairs and policy. Over this time, she has lent her expertise to non-profits, the White House, government agencies, and as a staffer for Congress.
Stacey will share how her experience working with Congress and local and state governments translates to sports management and community involvement. Brooks earned her B.A. in Education from William Jewell College as well as a Masters in Public Administration from George Mason University.
Photo: Romina Amato / Red Bull Content Pool
Performing Under Pressure: Awareness, Intention, and Action
What does it take to help an athlete perform when the pressure is high, fear is present, and things don’t go according to plan? In this keynote, David Colturi draws on more than 30 years in competitive springboard, platform, and cliff diving to unpack a simple framework for performing under pressure: Awareness, Intention, and Action. Through stories from Red Bull Cliff Diving events, a career-altering setback at Purdue, and a near-fatal injury in Switzerland, he’ll show coaches how to recognize the difference between reacting and responding, how to reframe when a plan collapses, and how small, consistent actions build the courage and grit that define both great athletes and great coaches. Expect a hands-on breathing exercise, hard-won lessons from the edge of a cliff, and a practical framework coaches can take straight back to the pool deck.
ABOUT DAVID
David Colturi is a professional diver, coach, and performance educator with more than three decades of experience in competitive diving and high diving. He began diving at age five and spent 16 years competing in traditional springboard and platform diving, earning two USA Diving National Championships, a Big Ten Championship, two World University Games bronze medals, and three NCAA Academic All-American honors.
David went on to build a 16-year career as a professional cliff diver, competing at the highest level of the sport and becoming a Red Bull Cliff Diving World Champion and World Aquatics High Diving Silver Medalist. His career has taken him around the world, giving him firsthand experience navigating high-pressure environments, fear, risk, resilience, performance, and the continual pursuit of excellence.
Today, David combines his experience as an elite athlete with his work as a coach, mentor, and performance expert. He works with divers and athletes to develop technical skills, mental resilience, confidence, and the ability to perform consistently under pressure. He is also the Co-Founder and President of the No Limits Tour, a professional cliff diving league focused on growing the sport and creating opportunities for the next generation of athletes.
Through coaching and speaking, David is passionate about helping audiences better understand the connection between performance, mindset, fulfillment, and long-term development.
Talent Identification and Pathways
The presentation explores the importance of effective talent identification and development within junior diving,
drawing on my own experiences as an international diver and my current role as a Talent Development Officer at Dive London Aquatics Centre.
I will share my experience of training at Crystal Palace Diving Club, a highly successful talent development
environment where I was coached by World Champion Chinese coaches. The club’s strong talent programme has produced numerous Olympic and international divers, giving me first-hand experience of how an effective pathway can support athletes from junior development through to elite performance.
The presentation will explore how clubs can identify potential in young divers by looking beyond current
performance and considering physical, technical, psychological, and developmental qualities. I will also discuss the importance of clear and sustainable talent pathways, strong coaching, appropriate competition opportunities, and long-term athlete development.
Finally, I will consider how clubs can create sustainable talent systems that develop high-performing athletes, retain
talent, and provide the next generation with the opportunities and support needed to succeed.
ABOUT FLORENCE
Florence Smith is the Talent Development Officer at Dive London Aquatics Centre, where she combines her experiences as an athlete with her academic background to scout and develop the next generation of divers. Her role focuses on identifying emerging talent, supporting their progression, and creating a sustainable pathway for athletes to reach their potential while strengthening the future talent base of the club.
Smith began her diving journey at Crystal Palace Diving Club, a club with a proud history of developing world-class athletes. She trained under World Champion Chinese coaches, learning within an environment built around high performance, technical excellence, and athlete development. The club’s highly successful talent programme has produced numerous Olympic divers, providing her with first-hand experience of what an effective pathway from grassroots to elite sport can look like.
As an athlete, she progressed through this system to become an international diver, representing her country at the Junior European Championships on platform. This experience gave her a strong understanding of the dedication, commitment, and support required to progress within the sport.
She went on to study Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Bath, developing a deeper understanding of athlete performance, development, and long-term progression.
Out of the Box: Alternate Coaching Styles
Leaning into his experiences as a professional freestyle and stunt skier, along with coaching diving and other extreme sports, Lerew will share out of the box coaching and training techniques that will have you thinking differently about your coaching approach, and help you identify new ways to reach your athletes and produce next-level change.
ABOUT JAY
Jay Lerew is one of the most accomplished American diving coaches of his generation. Before taking over at Texas A&M in 2010 Lerew led some of the nation’s most productive club programs, including Schroeder YMCA, Moss Farms, and Team Orlando.
In his nearly 50 years of coaching Lerew has produced dozens of junior and senior national champions, leading to him being named as the Head Coach for the 2000 U.S. Olympic Diving team. During his 16-year stint at Texas A&M he mentored 4 NCAA Champions along with multiple NCAA All-Americans and conference champions.
Jay also has a background as professional freestyle and stunt skier, experiences that helped guide his coaching model.
Strength & Conditioning for Injury Prevention in Diving
This session will debunk myths regarding the weight room and address what strength & conditioning really means for divers. Using visuals, we will look at common injury patterns, such as knee buckling, to understand more about what strengthening/prevention tools divers should be using in order to decrease the chance of further injuries. Coaches will leave with an understanding of the benefits of strength & conditioning, efficient warm-up activations, and low-risk strength drills they can implement to help their divers move better, recover faster, and stay in the pool.
ABOUT PAIGE
Paige Burrell is a strength and conditioning specialist and former collegiate diver who competed at the University of North Carolina and Florida International University, including two appearances at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2021 and 2024.
Paige’s path into strength and conditioning started early, in high school, where Olympic weightlifting became part of diving training and sparked a lasting interest in how the two disciplines connect. That interest carried through college, leading to a Bachelor’s and soon after a Master’s degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science.
Today, as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the NSCA, Paige draws on years as a diver and a background in exercise science to build strength programs designed around the energy demands diving requires of athletes.
UPDATES FROM THE USA DIVING COMMITTEE FOR COMPETITIVE EXCELLENCE (Day 1)
ROUNDTABLE: IMPROVING AMERICAN DIVING (Day 2)
USA Diving’s Committee for Competitive Excellence CCE is focused on strengthening and evolving the competitive structure of American diving. The CCE advises the USA Diving President, High Performance Director, and Board of Directors on competitive matters, including rules, petitions, appeals, and the overall structure of junior and senior competition.
The CCE also evaluates competitive rules and policies, reviews athlete petitions and appeals, and assess the domestic and international competition structures to ensure they support athlete development and competitive excellence.
Chaired by Dave Burgering, the CCE brings together experienced coaches, international representatives, and at-large members to provide a broad range of perspectives on the future of competitive diving in the United States.
On Day 2 Dave will be part of a roundtable aimed at creating meaningful solutions for USA Diving and how coaches can take a more active role in the future of the sport.
ABOUT DAVE
Dave Burgering is the Chair of USA Diving’s Committee for Competitive Excellence as well as an American coaching legend.
Burgering was a coach for the 2008 US Olympic team as well as having been a member of the 1980 US Olympic squad that ultimately boycotted the Moscow Games. In addition to his Olympic pedigree, Burgering has been the head coach of Fort Lauderdale Diving Team since 2007 after stints with Mission Viejo Nadadores and Mission Bay Makos.
Burgering has led his teams to multiple national team titles as well as mentoring numerous individual national champions.