DIVING COACH SARKISIAN BRINGS TRADITION-RICH PAST TO NU
By Brian Regan, Daily Northwestern; SOURCE: Northwestern University. EVANSTON, Ill.

Daily Northwestern via U-Wire
University Wire
January 19, 2007 Friday

If Alik Sarkisian had his way, the Norris Aquatics Center would
extend into North Beach and would house the best and newest diving
and gymnastics equipment. But as the first-year NU diving coach is
learning, donors need results to justify coaches’ dreams.

After former diving coach Tom Michael left for Wisconsin, Northwestern
hired Sarkisian away from the Victory Diving Club in Oklahoma City.

Sarkisian is the former head coach of the USSR, Armenian and U.S.
national diving teams, which he left to pursue more glory as an NCAA
head coach.

"If you want to be a respectable coach in the United States," Sarkisian
said, "you have to be a university coach. The best facilities are
at the universities and colleges, but there is very little at the
Olympic level, which is different from the USSR."

This is his first head coaching gig at the collegiate level after
serving as an assistant at the University of Southern California.

With a wealth of coaching experience, Sarkisian has tried to motivate
his divers into becoming even better performers, even though his
style maybe different than his American athletes are used to.

"The transition made me nervous that the team would not know me or my
style, which is very different than theirs," he said. "But it didn’t
matter because the team knew diving and they are all very smart."

His personality and the Wildcats’ willingness to learn has bridged
the gap and each party is succeeding so far this season.

"He has something about him that is very encouraging," sophomore Alex
Kiaie said. "Something innate that makes you want to work hard that
I really like. He wants to make you be the best you can be."

Kiaie, whose scores have gone up almost 10 percent this season,
credits some of that success to Sarkisian.

Even though, Michael’s laid-back practices are gone and instead
replaced with Sarkisian’s up-tempo workouts, the team’s morale is
high and meet performances are improving.

"We’ve been a lot sorer than we’ve ever been, but we’re doing very
well," senior Leanne Dumais said. "The team has bonded much more than
in the past this season."

The squad has been putting up good numbers all season, helping the
whole swim and dive team get more points at meets, which they are
trying to do again Saturday at No. 16 Notre Dame.

Now that he has implemented his system, Sarkisian is aiming for bigger
goals and accolades.

"In the future I am expecting to coach an Olympic champion and an
NCAA champion," he said.

But now he can feel satisfied knowing that the team respects him and
his ways in just his first season as coach.

"You can see the kids have responded well to him," NU swimming coach
Bob Groseth said. "They are working harder and with more smiles on
their faces."