Stramandi begins road to Trials on international circuit

This year has seen the rapid assent of junior diver Danielle Stramandi.

First came the third-place finish at NCAAs and the accompanying All-America honors. Next came a fourth-place finish at the National Indoor Diving Championships, which qualified her for the U.S. National Team. Now Stramandi is competing internationally, and when the Olympic Trials for the Summer Games in 2004 roll around, Stramandi will likely be there.

Most recently, Stramandi competed at the United States Diving FINA Diving Grand Prix, an international meet in Coral Springs, Fla. Russia, China, Venezuela, Mexico, and several other nations from around the globe sent their national teams to compete against the United States.

"It was really exciting for me," Stramandi said. "I met coaches from all over the world who said they were really excited about my diving in the future."

In between trips with the U.S. team to international events, Stramandi will spend the summer at the University of Tennessee taking classes and preparing for the World University Games.

The University Games, held in August in Beijing, are an Olympic-style event open only to college students. Athletes in the various Olympic sports are housed in an Olympic village, and competitions are run just like Olympic competitions.

As for the 2004 Olympic Games, Stramandi's future is unknown but predictable. She needs two points to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials, and has already earned one of those points since qualifying for international competition in April. That means Stramandi would need to pick up that additional point sometime in the intervening three years before the Trials.

"It has been a great experience for me, because I found out I could really compete at that level," Stramandi said. "If I hit all my dives, I think I can be right up there with the rest of the world."

Academics and medical school, however, are in Stramandi's more immediate plans.

Her success has even brought her a touch of notoriety and commercial success. After qualifying for the National Team, Stramandi was approached by the makers of BodySmarts energy bars and asked to do a commercial.

"They wanted to get a shot of me diving off a 10-meter, and in the commercial I was going to be diving into a pool of chocolate," Stramandi said. "I've gotten a few offers like this since joining the team."

Commercial fame will have to wait, at least for now. Stramandi still has one year of amateur status remaining, and NCAA rules prevent her from doing the advertisements.