Episode 31: Ignite Your Motivational Fire – Cliff Devries

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“...How can we break this down? How can we put it into really small steps so that, every day, we can have a little success and get over a little challenge?”

In this episode, Matt and Courtney chat with Cliff Devries, the Head Diving Coach at the Rochester Institute of Technology, a private research university based in Rochester, New York. Throughout his 17-year career as the Head Diving Coach for RIT, he has coached eight All-Americans and every season, has a host of divers in the mix for All-American honors. He is also the CEO of The Professional Diving Coaches Association.

In 2018, Cliff was awarded the Richard E. Steadman Award by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America. He became the first diving coach to win the award, which is given annually to a swimming or diving coach in high school, club, or at the university level who, in the opinion of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, Inc. the CSCAA Forum, and the CSCAA, has done the most to spread happiness in the sport of swimming and diving.

In addition to his numerous awards and national championships, Cliff has also been featured on ESPN, USA Today, and as a TEDx speaker with his segment, “Breathe Fire.” Soon, he will be releasing a book.

In this episode, Cliff gives insight into his long, successful career as a diving coach and how the mentality and techniques he uses with his divers can be applied to individuals and businesses alike. 

Resources
RIT athletics department website: https://www.rit.edu/athletics
The Professional Diving Coaches Association website: https://prodivingcoach.org/
Cliff’s email: cliff@upstatediving.com