Photo by Briana Brough
Chapel Hill is sending one of its own to the Olympics in London next month.
At the trials held in Washington state over the weekend, Duke diver and East Chapel Hill High alumnus Nick McCrory earned two berths in the summer games in 10-meter platform diving and in the 10-meter platform synchronized diving event. (His synchro partner, David Boudia, also earned an individual spot on the U.S. team.)
In our July/August issue of Chapel Hill Magazine, Adrianne Stone-Gibilisco writes about the long hours of practice McCrory has put in since he was 7 and how close he came to competing in the Olympics back in 2008, when he placed as an alternate.
“It would be amazing to win [gold],” he told Stone-Gibilisco, “but I just want to be there and do my best. If I do that … I’ll be happy.”
The 20-year-old is the son of Ana, a technician at UNC Lineberger and Doug, a physician at the Duke VA hospital. Congrats to Nick and the entire McCrory family!
UPDATE ON JUNE 26: We heard from Nick's mother, Ana, this morning via email.
"We are all thrilled beyond words for Nick and his accomplishments. He was quite emotional after he made the team (as we all were), knowing he has finally realized his lifelong goal. It seemed unreachable so many times throughout the years, sacrificing so much, questioning whether the toll on his body was really worth it. As parents, we struggled with how to keep encouraging him without pushing him to do something that might hurt him in the end. Over the years, I can tell you that Nick has never backed off his dream of making the Olympics. And, now that he's made the team, he will tell you that it was definitely worth it!
The outpouring of comunity support has been amazing! There are so many people out there that have cheered him on over the years ... I can't tell you what that means to him. If he ever had any doubts about his chances, there was always someone who would ask him about his goals and he would get fired up once again. Just before he went to Seattle, the PE teacher at Ephesus Elementary School invited him to come speak to the kids about his diving. The kids were so sweet and asked so many good questions that he was driven once again to do his best. So, in the end, I think he's proud for himself and for his community. Now, we hope he can make the U.S. proud as he heads to London."
For more on McCrory, be sure to check out page 12 of the July/August issue of Chapel Hill Magazine.
