5 Questions with Deidre Freeman Huff
Grinnell native Deidre Freeman Huff knows her way around a pool. She was a two-time All-American swimmer and diver at the University of Iowa where she still holds the 1-meter and 3-meter school record. As a member of the USA National Team, she was a three-time national champion in the 3-meter and 3-meter synchronized diving, a finalist in the 2013 world championships and the 2012 and 2016 Olympic trials. She first came to Grinnell in 2011 as a coach for the diving program and added assistant softball coach to her duties that year. She left in 2014 but returned to the College in 2019 as an alumni and donor relations program coordinator in the Development and Alumni Relations Office. She returned to the natatorium this year as an assistant coach for the divers when the position became available.
Q: How did you first get involved in diving?
A: I had a tumbling and dance background and the high school swim and dive coach at the time, Karen Robbins, saw me tumble at a dance recital when I was in 8th grade. She approached me and said I had good body awareness and that my dance and tumbling skills might transfer easily onto the diving board. I tried it and ended up having a good time!
Q: What is your best memory from your diving days?
A: There are so many, but my favorite diving memory was traveling to Barcelona, Spain, with the World Championship team in 2013. It was such an amazing city, pool, and the team that year got along so well. It still seems surreal to me that I got to compete against the rest of the world’s best divers in such a picturesque location with fun people.
Q: What is the highest point you’ve ever jumped or dived from?
A: I’ve jumped and dove off the 10-meter platform. It’s scary and I’ve never jumped off anything higher than that. I’d actually prefer to dive off the 10-meter than jump because your stomach doesn’t go straight into your throat.
Q: What is your favorite part of working in Alumni Relations?
A: My favorite part about working in Alumni Relations is the people I work with. I feel like I work on the dream team who cares about me and colleagues more than the work itself. It makes me want to show up and do a good job for the donors and alums who we serve, but especially for the team that we work with — it’s very much a family.
Q: As a Grinnell native, what is your favorite place in or around town to relax?
A: I don’t have a single favorite place, but I love to take long walks around Grinnell. I’ve logged many miles and different routes with our dog and now our son in the stroller. My spouse, Jordan coaches three high school sports during the year, so when he’s coaching and I’m by myself, going for walks is helpful to wear our dog out and also calm our baby. If you see someone walking around town with a stroller and a dog on a leash, it’s probably me! We even walk out to my parents’ house outside of town when we have the time. I love that you can get away from noise just by walking a few blocks.
Bonus Question: What does the future of Grinnell diving look like?
A: Currently, I coach both the high school and college divers. The high school had a state champion this year and a first-year who placed seventh at state. In a state that only has one class, our small community of Grinnell was represented very well against all the big schools. We return three first-years next year and each one has state-qualifying and medal potential. The college team had an unconventional program this year. Jani Springer and I co-coached the divers — we split days during the week and meets throughout the season. It’s been fun, but busy with full-time work, high school coaching, college coaching, and parenting an infant. I hope to add a couple more divers to the squad next year to enrich our team in numbers for potential scoring opportunities for the team, but more importantly, so the divers can create connections and memories with more teammates. It’s always more fun with more people contributing to your experience.