Greet Olympic Diver Chris Colwill at Brandon Sports & Aquatic Center

Residents will have a chance to meet Olympic diver Chris Colwill and purchase a signed "Team Colwill" T-shirt when the Brandon native visits his old training grounds, the Brandon Sports and Aquatic Center, on July 7.

Colwill, who now lives in Athens, Ga., will be at the center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to his father, Chuck, who lives in south Brandon.

“We’re putting together a sendoff for him before he heads to London,” Colwill said. “It’s a chance for Chris to thank all the people who have been supporting him.”

At age 27, Colwill, a Tampa Prep graduate who trained at the Brandon Sports and Aquatic Center, is considered one of the top divers in the country. After high school, he went on to attend the University of Georgia where he continued diving at the collegiate level. He graduated with a degree in speech communications in 2008 but spends his spare time practicing and participating in diving competitions.

He first made the Olympic dive team in 2008, coming in 12th at the Beijing games.

A nearly flawless dive during the men’s 3-meter springboard June 24 in Federal Way, Wash., earned Colwill another spot on the 2012 Olympic team.

• For more on this story, and to hear about how Chuck and Debbie reacted to their son's qualifying dive, read , written by Bloomingdale-Riverview Patch editor D'Ann White.