Dan Laak is the head dive coach of the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

(UGA) men's and women's

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), ...

teams. He has also coached internationally as part of the U.S. Olympic dive team coaching staff.

Diving career

Laak dove collegiately at the

University of Wisconsin–La Crosse The University of Wisconsin–La Crosse (UWL or UW Lax) is a public university in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Established in 1909, it is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. With 9,600 un ...

under head diving coach, Barry Schockmel, and graduated in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in recreation administration. He earned five All-America and Honorable Mention honors. In October 2003 Laak was inducted into the Wisconsin-LaCrosse Athletic Wall of Fame.

Coaching and professional career

The 2013-2014 season marks Laak's 27th year as a coach for UGA. During his coaching tenure at UGA, he has been named National Coach of the Year twice (2006, 2008) and SEC Dive Coach of the Year three times (2001, 2005, 2006). He has also served twice as a coach for the United States Olympic dive team (2008, 2012). In 2008 Laak served as a United States dive team coach during the 2008 Summer Olympics in

Beijing, China } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

and National Team Coach at the USA Grand Prix. That same year Laak was named the NCAA diving national coach of the year after coaching UGA men's diver

Chris Colwill Christopher Colwill (born September 11, 1984) is an American international diver from Tampa, Florida. Colwill graduated from Tampa Preparatory School in 2003 and dove for the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia under dive coach Dan Laak. ...

to a first-place finish on the 1-meter springboard and two second-place finishes on the 3-meter and platform events and UGA women's diver Hannah Moore to a fourth-place finish on 3-meter spring-board. For the 2009

FINA Diving World Series The FINA Diving World Series is a diving competition series held annually since 2007. This series is held around the world (the current series includes 4 events) where the divers collect points depending on their results to determine the World Seri ...

, Laak served as a National Team Coach/Team Leader. Laak judged the

World University Games The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and " Olympiad". The Universiade is referred ...

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...

in 1987 and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

in 1999. He served as a diving coach at the 1990 U.S. Olympic Festival and as a judge at the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival. From 1997 to 2000, Laak was the Chairman of the NCAA Diving Rules Committee.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laak, Dan Living people Year of birth missing (living people) University of Wisconsin–La Crosse alumni Georgia Bulldogs diving coaches American Olympic coaches American male divers American diving coaches

Diving career

Coaching and professional career

See also

Notes