EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Olympic Diver Cassidy Krug Describes The Perfect Dive

For diver Cassidy Krug, 27, who will compete in the 2012 Olympics, diving is in the blood.

“Both of my parents are diving coaches, and so I kind of grew up around the pool deck,” Krug exclusively told Uinterview. “But I wasn’t intensely into diving almost until I went to college. It was a very long, gradual ramping up of intensity.”

Gradual or not, the intensity took, and now Krug, who limits herself to a diet of “super foods” but daydreams of splurging on chocolate cake, speaks openly about the critical analysis that goes into her sport as she seeks to execute the perfect dive. “The main part of the score is in the entry,” she explained, “so we all want to go into the water without making any splash at all, so we grab our hands and then — it’s called swimming when you move your hands away really quickly — and we try to break through the water with no splash.”

No matter what, Krug is after that perfect dive, and she definitely knows what goes into making it happen. “The other thing is that you want to see dives finish high above the water, you don’t want to see people somersaulting all the way from board to water level; somersaulting dynamically is good,” she said.

For more exclusives and news on the London 2012 Olympics:

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EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Olympian Nick McCrory Talks Diving With David Boudia

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EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Olympian Phil Dalhausser’s ‘Late Start’ At Beach Volleyball

EXCLUSIVE: Olympian Jessica Hardy Swims 2.5 Hours Every Morning

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Olympic Gymnast Jonathan Horton On The London Games

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Olympic Gymnast Jordyn Wieber On Trainin For London Games

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Olympic Sprinter Wallace Spearmon On Losing His Medal In Beijing — And Winning Gold In London

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