ZAP Coaching
Mary Ellen Clark, Head Coach
- '92 and '96 Olympic Diving Medalist
- 26 years of diving experience including age group, AAU, high School, collegiate, and USA Diving national and international teams
- 35 years of coaching experience at age group, high school, collegiate, USA Diving national, and Olympic levels
- 25 years of personal training experience
- 27 years of motivational speaking experience
- 20 years of nutritional coaching experience
Mary Ellen Clark fell in love with diving at the age of 7, and went on to enjoy an extremely successful 26 year journey in the sport. Clark was a high school state champion, a Junior Olympic Champion, a 7-time National Champion, and a 10-time member of the U.S. National Team. In addition, she competed in both the '92 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, and the '96 Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA. At the age of 33, Mary Ellen became the oldest diving medalist in the history of the Olympic Games.
The youngest of 7 children, Clark was born into a family who exemplified unconditional love and support, valued her interests, and consistently modeled the importance of pursuing joy for its own sake. By their example, and that of countless coaches and like-minded teammates, Clark saw that diving carried no expectations beyond her being coachable, dedicated, and having fun. And by that simple model, she achieved beyond her own imagination.
Today, Clark attributes her storybook career to just three things: having a lot of fun, taking a balanced approach to her pursuit of diving, and the unconditional support of her remarkable family, friends, teammates, coaches and mentors. Her profound gratitude for her own journey and those who influenced and inspired it is what drives her to “pay it forward” through coaching. Having transitioned from a 26-year diving career — exposed to many of the world’s greatest coaches — into 35 years of coaching divers at all levels, has afforded her multiple perspectives on the individual dynamics of human potential. From this place, Clark sees the champion in every child, and relishes the opportunity to make them see it too.
An AAU & USA Diving Affiliated Program
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