Scott Garman (‘23) recently committed to his dream school UC Berkeley. A current senior at Amador Valley, Garman has spent the last 7 years as a competitive springboard and platform diver. His dedication to the sport caught the attention of UC Berkeley and secured him a spot.

From a young age Garman dreamed of continuing his family’s legacy of attending Berkeley. He grew up cheering for the Bears at football games and learning to walk as he explored the campus as a toddler.

“UC Berkeley has always been my dream school. I have a lot of pictures from when I was little in Cal gear,” said Garman.

Garman has been hooked on the sport since 2012 when he watched divers compete in the Olympics for the first time. His mom helped him transition his love for doing flips on the ground to the water, and in doing so set him on the path to become a professional diver. 

Still, his journey wasn’t always a smooth one. But every time Garman considered quitting, family, coaches, and friends would be there reminding him of his love for the sport and cheering him on. 

“I wanted to quit at first, but my coach wouldn’t let me. He said I had too much potential, so he made me stick with it. I’m glad he did,” said Garman.

In fifth grade Garman started taking diving seriously, and his routine evolved to accommodate all the extra time he was dedicating to honing his skills. Since that age, Garman has consistently practiced two hours a day for six days a week. He took the year in quarantine as an opportunity to work harder and spend more time on his sport.   

“I think I actually benefited from COVID. I could just take time and work on myself and get stronger. We usually only have 2 weeks off a year, so those eight months off gave me plenty of time,” said Garman. 

Like any high school student, Garman has to juggle many responsibilities on top of diving. His hardest year was junior year because he had to balance hard classes with training every day. But since committing to Berkeley, he’s made diving his number one priority.  

“I do have to worry about keeping my grades up, but I don’t have to do applications, because I already finished my Berkeley application,” said Garman.

Outside of managing school and his sport, Garman also has many great friendships. His friends describe him as an outgoing person, who is always focused on his next goal. After committing to UC Berkeley he and his friends shared moments to celebrate his achievements. 

“Scotty is a legend. He’s the best diver ever. He’s such a nice guy, always happy and never mean. He always talks about diving. (Going to Berkeley is) a dream of his, I know it is, and now that he’s going he’s happier, but still the same guy,” said Brady Nassar (‘23). 

Garman’s goals don’t stop at Berkeley. Ultimately he wishes to see himself at the place that inspired his love for diving; the olympics. As hard as it will be, everyone around him believes in his chances of one day making it to the Olympics. 

“There are only two divers a season who make the Olympics, so it is a pretty hard thing to do. Diving is more of a mental sport than a physical one. You have to battle with yourself a lot,” said Garman.