Season 4, Episode 22 -Laura Wilkinson
Welcome to Game Changers with Jeff Newkirk, where we speak with people who have done something to make this world a better place. It’s simple: inspire, educate, and let’s go change this world!
On today’s episode, Jeff welcomes guest Laura Wilkinson, a three-time Olympian and Olympic gold medalist. She started diving in her freshman year of high school and was told she was too old to start a new sport. She won the US’s first national title in diving and overcame great obstacles in 1998 to win the Goodwill Games as the only US diver to ever achieve this. Laura shattered her right foot in three places and only had 3 weeks back in the water before she tried out and made her first Olympic team. She beat impossible odds by starting in 8th place and then ending up winning in first place. She won the 2004 World Cup, 19 US National trials, and won the Olympic Spirit Award. She had been inducted into five different Hall of Fames and qualified for the 2021 Olympic Trials with her four children and husband cheering her on. Laura now has a podcast called Pursuit Gold, and she helps coach athletes to overcome roadblocks, compete confidently, and fall back in love with their passion.
First, Laura talks about how she wanted to compete in the Olympics as a little kid in 1994 and wanted to be a gymnast. She realized at 13 that she was not at the right level to go to the Olympics for gymnastics, so she searched for another sport. She had coaches tell her she was too old to switch and that she was a waste of space. Authority figures are people you are supposed to look up to and trust. You can either believe them and cave in on yourself or defy them.
She realized it was their issue and not hers, so it lit a fire inside her. She now has caution with the words she says and the impact they carry. She has had amazing coaches, but the best ones are when they create an atmosphere where you can do the very best that you can and achieve your dreams. They make it fun and know their athletes with how they think and how to mold them.
After Laura shattered her foot, she went through mental training and preparation for the Olympic trials. She did that through visualization where she started imagining the actions and steps to go through for a dive. Her coach, Kenny, said she couldn’t look back and think about the what-ifs, but she had to look forward and make a new plan. She studied video, visualized the actions of her dive, hobbled up to the diving board on one leg, and imagined every scenario with made-up competitions and her competitors.
She was prepared for any given situation and was more prepared than she ever could have been without training physically. When she started to doubt, her teammates cheered her on, wouldn’t let her quit, and believed in her too. We are sometimes so close to success when we are about to give up. After talking to so many athletes who have overcome incredible odds, she says the one thing they all have in common is a belief that it is going to work. Everyone believed in what they were doing and thought it was going to be successful.
Next, they discuss faith in God and how God can use anything for His purpose and His good. Sometimes we have to go through the fire to refine us and make us better than before. She grew up in the church, left it, and came back to church during her sophomore year in college. She gave her whole heart to God then and says continuing to grow is the key. Her core values include faith, honesty (with yourself), humility, and love with compassion. Her message for kids today is to turn off your phone and live in the world! She also says if there’s something you’re passionate about, don’t give up on it. Also, she says to find a way to challenge yourself physically or mentally because growing is what makes you stronger and more confident. Lastly, she says falling and failing are part of the process and you are successful because you have failed.
Learn more about Laura Wilkinson.
Do you have any game-changers in your life? Be sure to let me know so we can celebrate their story and contribution to our world. Go to the Contact Us page to submit their name.
