Dominic Giordano wins ACC 3-meter
Tri-State Sports & News Service
As the reigning NCAA 3meter diving champion, Dominic Giordano of Pitt takes an unorthodox approach to prestigious competitions. “I don’t care,” he said. Say that again? “I’ll use the phrase lightly — I don’t care.” OK, then ... Giordano puts the “free” in free-spirit when it comes to diving. Think Dennis Rodman without the tattoos and nose ring.
This senior from PineRichland gets more satisfaction from visiting with longtime friends at championship events than he does winning. Typically, Giordano can be found holding court, cracking jokes, while other competitors are singularly focused.
This would explain his nonchalant reaction to winning gold in the 3-meter dive at the recently completed ACC championships. He also captured bronze in the platform and placed fourth in the 1-meter en route to being named Most Valuable Diver.
“At the end of the day, these meets are not my life,” Giordano said, in a respectful tone. “And one reward does not define me. College is only four years of my life. Hopefully, I have 70-some more years of accomplishments ahead of me. If I’m basing my entire life on this one thing, I think I’m missing the mark.”
Despite his unique/introspective views, there is no denying Giordano’s artistry when he goes airborne. To see him perform a back 1½ somersault with a 3½ twist off the 10-meter platform is enough to wow judges, spectators and opponents alike.
His breathtaking abilities will be on display again Monday through Wednesday at the NCAA Zone diving meet in Christiansburg, Va. If Giordano meets the qualifying standards, he’ll move on to the NCAA championships March 23-25 in Indianapolis.
This is where he’ll get a chance to defend his 3-meter title, while also pursuing gold in the 1-meter and platform dives. He placed eighth in the 1-meter last season to earn All-America honors
“He is kinesthetically and visually intelligent,” Pitt diving coach Julian Krug said of Giordano, the only national champion in program history. “He has a great understanding of the sport. Diving is much different than swimming, where you use a stopwatch. Diving is rhythm, dance. It’s kind of like gymnastics, but also ice skating and ballet. Dom is very good at these things. But he also can be bad.” Bad? “Sometimes said.
Krug has coached the sport for 44 years, the past 38 at Pitt. His daughter Cassidy is a former Olympian and he has been a consultant to the NBC broadcast crew for six Olympic Games. The man has pretty much seen it all.
Yet, Giordano is an outlier.
“I don’t know that I’ve had anybody quite like him,” Krug said. “He is extremely talented, but at the same time, I almost think my No. 1 job is to keep him level. That’s the way it was with ...,” Krug [coach Ron] O’Brien and Greg Louganis. O’Brien’s major job was to keep his head level. If I can keep Dom settled, relaxed and comfortable with himself, he’s much better that way. I’m not taking anything away from him, because the talent is there. He is extremely graceful. That’s not something I taught him; he came that way. It’s just that he has to stay level.”
To his credit, Giordano knows his eccentricities challenge Krug. And true to his personality, he offered an offbeat analogy to describe the relationship.
“It’s like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” said Giordano, a humanities major who attended Florida State for a semester before transferring to Pitt. “You can go outside the box and have peanut butter and honey or peanut butter and banana, but the best is always PB&J. So yes, we have our highs and lows, but in the end, we’re the right match.”
Sporting a resume that includes the 2015 ACC platform title, 2016 ACC Diver of the Year honors and the distinction of holding every Pitt diving record, Giordano could potentially continue as a world-class diver after the NCAA finals.
He competed in the Olympic Trials last summer, but was never in contention. Whether he’ll make a run at the 2020 Games is anybody’s guess. Even his. “Right now, I’d say no, but who knows?,” said Giordano, whose parents were athletes at Youngstown State, mom a gymnast and dad a quarterback. “It’s a huge commitment. Right now, I want to get through the college season, then I’ll decide.”