Community Corner

Brandon's Eyes Are on Olympian Diver Chris Colwill

Olympian Chris Colwill mastered his childhood diving techniques at the Brandon Sports & Aquatic Center in Brandon. The town will be watching the 2012 Summer Olympics in London on Aug. 6 to see is Colwill can bring home a medal.

 

Have you spotted signs of support for Olympian Chris Colwill in the Greater Brandon area?

We did, Aug. 5, at the Valrico State Bank, at 1815 East State Road 60 in Valrico, where the hometown show of support for the Olympian athlete read simply: "Chris Colwill Makes Brandon Proud — Again! 2012 Olympics."

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Colwill is set to start competing in the men's 3-meter springboard diving competition today, Aug. 6.

According to the NBC Olympics site online, today’s preliminary round is set for 2 p.m. The semifinal round is scheduled for 5 a.m. Aug. 7, followed by the finals at 2 p.m.

Find out what's happening in Brandonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

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  • The NBC Olympic TV listings do not indicate that the event will be on TV today, until a replay tonight sometime after 8 p.m. on NBC (WFLA). There is a half hour of programming from 2 to 2:30 p.m. on MSNBC listed as "TBA." You can also view live coverage of the dives on your tablet or computer.

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Give a shout-out to Colwill in the comment box below. Have you seen other signs of support about town? Post your find, or let us know. Go, Chris!

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Earlier:

 

"Everybody back in Brandon, Florida, I love you guys." So ends a 5-minute YouTube video clip featuring the highlights of the U.S. Diving Trials that landed Chris Colwill a trip to the 2012 London Summer Olympics.

Colwill, the son of Debbie and Chuck Colwill, a longtime member of the Rotary Club of Brandon, will be diving for Team USA and capturing the hearts of swimmers throughout the years from the , where Colwill spent his childhood training.

Colwill is set to compete in the men's 3-meter springboard diving competition today, Aug. 6.

 According to a TBO.com report, Brandon's Colwill Ready for Challenge, today's preliminary round is set for 2 p.m., with the top 18 advancing to Tuesday's semifinals at 5 a.m. The top 12 from the semifinals dive in the championship round, Tuesday at 2 p.m.

"I fell in love with diving when I was just five years old and have never looked back," Colwill says on his Web site, which notes as well his many career accomplishments.

The site includes as well his @USAdiving tweets, giving a rundown of thoughts and events leading up to the diving competition that starts July 29.

The video clip, posted at nbcolympics.com, ends with Colwill's reverse 3.5 somersault dive — "his favorite and his best dive in the last round" — earning this exclamation from the female announcer:

"Oh my! He has outdone himself today! Look at how high he goes above the springboard and he nails the entry, absolutely vertical!"


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