Transcript: Danny Sullivan on Diving, Leadership, and Trusting the Process

Good morning and welcome back to Late Search Show. We are here today with Danny Sullivan, senior diver on our now five-time straight state champion swimming and diving team, and Anderson House Prefect. How are you doing today, Danny? Pretty good.

Happy to be here. Thanks for taking the time to be here today. And to start us off, we always start off by asking our guests what maybe their childhood was like, what they were like as a kid. Can you just explain to us what Danny was like as a kid?

Yeah. Actually, when I was a lot younger, I was actually really, really quiet. I actually got held back a year in preschool because I pretty much didn't talk. I was just super quiet and always wanted to be with my parents.

And I think as I got older, I just became a little bit more comfortable with myself. I think one thing I've always valued is kindness, just always being kind to those around me. I think as I was quiet as a kid, I kind of felt what it was like to be worried about like what I'll say and what I'll do. And so kindness was kind of my way of making sure that doesn't happen to other people.

And I think as a kid, I was a little bit of a risk taker. I mean, I loved skiing. And that's how I eventually got into diving. And I think skiing, especially as a sport, we're confronted with fear very often.

And same is true in diving. So yeah. You know, take us back to some of those first days in US. When did you join?

And Kyle, What was your journey throughout U.S. up until this point? Yeah, I started in seventh grade. Actually, not by choice. It was kind of something that was forced upon me by my parents.

And I didn't originally want to go. I don't know. I thought U.S. would be too different from what I was used to in public school. But I think I quickly found that my perceptions were wrong.

Ended up making some close friends right away and just saw how much of a great community it was. Um, so that was pretty awesome to see and just see how my perception completely flipped around once I actually experienced us. Um, I mean, now I love it. I couldn't be more thankful for all my time at us and what it's done for me.

Um, and we have a lot of traditions. Do you remember maybe your first us tradition that you were, um, kind of got you into the community and that you really enjoyed? Yeah. I mean, I think one of them would be the handshake for sure.

That's something that was really cool. I actually was looking back at my camera roll, seeing some memories. And I had a video of filming kind of a picture of the whole handshake line and just remarking on how crazy it was and sending that to like a group chat of all my like public school friends. And they thought that was so cool.

So I think that was one really cool moment. You know, we have so many teachers here at US who do so much for us on kind of daily. So even if it's in the middle school or if it's at the high school what's who's been kind of one of your most impactful teachers at us and what do they teach you at us just beyond the content um i think like right away was mr mr richmond um in the high school um i think before high school i'd never gotten above a 90 on any math test um and mr richmond was kind of the first teacher that when i had a question really kept going to make sure that I knew what I was talking about and understood. And so I think he showed me that even though you might be slower to a concept originally, if you persist and you keep working at it, you can excel.

And now I think math is not my favorite class, but something that I can enjoy and can do a lot pretty well in. So I think that was cool. He kind of showed me that with just time and effort, you can become good at something, even if you start off being pretty bad at it. And can you take us now to your sports side of the experience now?

Obviously, you know, diving is in the spotlight with the state championships, but yeah, I know you've also golfed and done other things. So what was your relationship with sports like over your time here? Yeah. Um, I think my thing has been just doing what I really love.

Um, I started playing soccer and I played freshman and sophomore year. And then somewhere going to junior year, I got addicted to golf just kind of recreationally. Um, and so much so that I eventually decided to even quit soccer to try out for golf which I knew I'd probably make JV and now as a senior after making varsity this year I think that's was one of like my best decisions in high school because I quit something that I didn't originally love too much even though I had some great friends on the team and pursued something that was one of my passions so I thought that was really cool yeah you know kind of when did you first decide to try diving Obviously, you talked about being a little bit of a risk taker when it comes to skiing. But what was the why behind that choice?

And what was kind of your first moment that you were introduced to diving? Yeah, it was actually I did some training for skiing. You guys might remember Bo Napolitano. He's kind of on the big stage now with the USA team.

But we did a ski training, kind of the team we were on. And he told me as I was going up to the high school, You should try diving because it essentially the same thing just is a good way to practice in the off season um so i was like all right sure thought it would be cool i didn really know what i would get into um and i think up until really last year it was a lot more casual for me um which i liked i liked having diving as something to fall back on and do when i can but then i think in these recent years it's got definitely a lot more serious um i think that's shown how the diving program at the school has grown there's been a lot more of an emphasis on it with the team and so I thought that was really cool to see that evolution going through my four years so you were doing flips on skis yeah okay and then for those of us that don't know you know diving obviously it's hard to even imagine what you're thinking or what you're when you're doing those dives for people who don't know what's maybe the hardest part of diving um yeah I think it's definitely the fear aspect um sometimes I'll get in little like conversations with my friends like they'll say oh diving's just jumping into water um i think that just really changes once you get onto the board and you're actually confronted with doing something that you have you've never done before um and so yeah wait hold on what was the original question can we redo that one no just what's the hardest part of diving because obviously when you're watching someone go off the board you just see them do the flips and you don't even like know what to think it's just that's pretty cool yeah so yeah i definitely say the fear aspect um you can get in your head very quickly um one bad smack which even though it's just water like good smack can hurt pretty bad for a good while but that can just kind of flip a mental switch that kind of doesn't let you do it there's one story I always tell with Bonapolitano who he's doing he did a quintuple front flip into water the other day on a hundred foot jump and during his junior maybe senior year he was asked to do a back one and a half, which is just a backflip one and a half rotation, which he had smacked on previously a year ago, and he would not do it. And this is a guy who's doing like double front flips on snow, five front flips into water, and something as simple as a backflip and a half, he just wouldn't do. So I think that kind of just shows how fear can kind of take over in those moments.

But it's really important to learn how to push through it, which is something I think we've all done in diving. You know, the swimming and diving team has had a crazy amount of success over the past, obviously, five years going back to back to back to back to back, but also just kind of even years before that, how do you describe the culture of a team who's so successful, especially I know the diving team kind of has their own practice. And then you guys are also in the natatorium. So what's kind of that culture like between the two teams and especially just on the diving team itself?

Yeah, I'd say overall, it's very focused. You know, we have three morning lifts a week, um, 6 AM. And so I think that especially mixed with in a practice after school teaches guys how to be laser focused. And some of these guys are just machines.

So it was something I kind of had to learn to grow into being a captain this year. Cause as a diver before this year, there wasn't as much involvement. And so I think in doing that, I've seen how intensely focused the swim team always is. And I think with having a diver as a captain this year, that's kind have brought the teams together, which was one of the goals.

Um, and so, yeah, the diving team while in the past, it's definitely been less serious this year, definitely cranked up a notch and was really cool to see and just feel more of a unity between the two teams. Um, I think that really showed this year with the state finals coming down to needing diving versus previous years, not really needing diving. So I thought that was super cool. and the two sports that have kind of come out are golf and diving and obviously those are individual sports but they're also part of a team where the team is relying on you have how have you been able to handle that pressure where it's like the team is relying on you but you don't have other guys to rely on when you're actually doing it right i think it just comes down to trusting your process and practice you know both sports are like you said very similar and mentally challenging. And in both, you just have to establish like a reliable process and trust that you've done it a million times and know that you can do it again.

So yeah, I mean, it can seem scary, but just trusting yourself and your practice is pretty key. You know, let's go to another part that you talked about, that we talked about in that intro. You're also a part, you're also Anderson House Prefect. So for listeners who either don't really get the prefect role or want to know more about what it's like being a prefect, what does being a house prefect for you actually look day to day?

Yeah. I mean, day to day, I think it's kind of what I enjoy most is just being someone in the community that others can look up to and just say hi to. You know, I really value just walking to class and being able to say hi to five different people in my house and just people all over. So I think to me, being a prefect is just being someone that others can look up to and go to for guidance or just say what up to in the halls Well you had a pretty epic senior speech this year where you actually played the piano on stage How did that happen I mean that never really been done before so how did you have that idea to do that and walk us through what that decision was like to do that?

Well, I actually remember my freshman year, so you guys wouldn't have seen this, but there was a guy who built his own violin and then played a song on it. So that was a little bit of my inspiration for the piano piece. But other than that, it was just, there was a lot of brainstorming that went into it. I kind of didn't start the speech till later.

And then the idea of perfection and perfectionism kind of came through with Mr. Lito when we were brainstorming. So yeah, I don't know that process. It was definitely very stressful.

I think you could see by my leg shaking on the piano. I know a bunch of my friends will still joke with me about that. But yeah, I don't know. It was really cool.

That was another example of just being scared of something and being able to move through it. And then in the end, there's all having some success. You know, speaking of some pretty memorable moments, we all have a funniest U.S. moment individually. What's one moment that kind of stands out to you as maybe one of the funniest moments that you've had at U.S.?

Or if you don't have one specific, what are some spaces at U.S. that you've had some of your funniest moments? yeah I mean I think gosh I think some spaces it's just like the inside jokes that kind of build with your friends over years the little things that you know another guy finds funny I don't know it's so tough for me I think it's just the moments with friends so whether that be an inside joke or something that just happens I think just being with the community of friends I've built here I think that's where most of the funny moments happen but I don't know I can't pinpoint one specific one. Now, if you go back and give freshman Danny one piece of advice about U.S. or anyone who's listening to this that might be starting their journey, what would you say and any advice you would give them? Yeah, I'd say don't be afraid to do anything just because you're an underclassman. I thought, especially as a freshman, that there are some things I just couldn't do, whether it be like join certain clubs or make announcements or run for something.

And I think that kind of held me back a little bit. I was a little scared of what others, especially those older than me, would think. So I'd say just go after it and know that I think a lot of people respect someone who's younger just trying to do what they put their mind to. So yeah.

You know, with the prefect role, obviously comes a lot of power. But if you unlimited power to change one thing about us for the next generation or just even us what would you change and why it could be something like lunches or all the way to the way we have like our sports yeah i think it would be maybe just more time being able to spend more time during like lunch with friends i think something i always really wished us had was more open seating during the week um and i love the sponsor system having that tight-knit community but sometimes I wish there was one or two days a week where it was open seating and sitting with your friends um because I think that's really how a lot of your key U.S. memories forms is those times with friends talking about things during lunch whether it be a teacher or a class and that's what I've learned as a senior um so I wish I kind of could have had that experience a little bit younger when I was younger like freshman or sophomore but yeah as we look into the future obviously your second semester of senior year. Um, how do you imagine yourself maybe five years from now, random Tuesday afternoon? What do you, what do you think you might be doing?

I don't know. I hope I'm with a good group of friends doing something I love, whether it's golf or skiing. Um, yeah, I hope I'm just doing something that makes me genuinely happy, not something that I'm just doing like out of college to make money or for like social status. So yeah, I really hope I'm just doing something that I find passionate with people that I love.

You know, obviously the college process is a pretty long one. So do you have any ideas of what you may be thinking of majoring in or what you kind of think about doing for this next phase of your life? Yeah, so I'm kind of leaning towards econ, which is kind of the basic stock answer. But I'm not fully sure.

I definitely want to try stuff out. which is why I chose a liberal arts school. So maybe something environmental related. Middlebury, where I'm going, has a really good program for that. Maybe finding an intersection between that and econ.

That would be pretty cool. But yeah, I think kind of just going to figure it out, feel my way through at first, and then hopefully land on something that I truly love. You're involved in obviously a lot of different things as we've talked about in this podcast. As you look forward to your college experience even beyond, What are some maybe interests or things that you foresee yourself that you foresee coming out of the US experience and sticking with you Yeah I think I learned at US that you can be involved in a ton of things whether it be spike ball or ping pong or CBA And so I think just continuing that passion for a multitude of things is something I really hope to do and not really limiting myself.

So, yeah, I hope in college to be a part of a bunch of different clubs where I can continue to do all these weird little things. But I think that's what makes me happy a lot of times just having things to get better at and be able to see progress and also to have a community around. You know, US puts a huge emphasis on joining clubs and taking a bunch of different classes. So looking back, is there any clubs or classes that you missed throughout your four years here?

And maybe even the middle school that you kind of wish you did, or look back on as a really cool opportunity that you just missed? Yeah, I think definitely two of them that I wish I did were woodshop. I took intro to woodshop. So I got a little taste of it.

But I wish I continued with that. I thought that was a really cool class and learning how to build stuff with your hands and see a project come to life, I think is very important. After all, US is kind of meant to be a school where boys learn how to build stuff and move through the world. So I think that would be one.

And then also, Dr. Fallon's film class would be pretty cool. I've heard a lot of great things. Right now we're kind of in the point of the year where kids are deciding on coming to U.S. and the next generation of preppers is thinking about coming here.

What advice do you have to those kids who are incoming and maybe any advice to the parents of those kids? Yeah, I mean to the kids I definitely say just be yourself and branch out. Even though I've been at school for a bit, I remember being a little bit scared to make new connections whether it be with kids above me or in my grade. And I think that's one big thing, just not being afraid to meet others who are maybe just a little bit older than you or better than you at something.

I think at the end of the day, everyone's equal. And as a senior, I see that like if someone younger than me came up to me and asked me something like I wouldn't make it, I'd love to answer their questions. So yeah. You know, before we get to the question we went with every time, when you look back at the kid who kind of first walked into us and senior that you are now whether it's diver prefect musician or someone who just kind of keeps on trying new things what is it that in your mind stands out as being the most important to you uh i think most important to me is leadership um i think it's just very valuable to me to be able to talk to others and learn from others as a leader but also show others what's possible and kind of who they can become and i think it's just been really cool, especially with swimming, um, with some of the freshmen who I've got to know and just seeing them grow throughout the year.

Um, and knowing that hopefully I've been a part of that process, um, whether it be just a guiding force or someone to look up to, I think that at the end of the day is very cool and very valuable. And we've talked about this on a lot of our podcasts, um, your class, like certain classes are known for school spirit, bringing the energy and you guys is certainly one of those. When you talk about legacy and what you guys want to leave behind, part of that is also sustaining that for the next couple classes. So what advice or maybe what do you hope the next couple classes do in order to sustain that energy and that school spirit?

Yeah, I mean, I think the main thing is just keep showing up. I think it's really led by a group of seniors, and I think the class below us has a very good group and is overall very enthusiastic. and I think just continue to come up with new ideas. You don't have to fall back on the same old things that we've done. I think something cool this year has been creating kind of like a leadership position for student spirit.

And so, yeah, I think just be creative, think of more ideas. And if you do that, people will always stay interested and people will show up. You know, one of the questions we ask every single one of our podcast guests is why do you keep on choosing new things? What's the deeper reason pushing you forward?

And most importantly, what is your why? I think my why would be the connections in the community that I've built here. You know, when I wake up in the morning, something that I think of is like what me and my friends are going to talk about at lunch, what we're going to do, if we're going to play basketball. And I think something like that, along with being able to walk through the halls and say hi to 10 different people, whether it be your best friend or your teammate or someone, a freshman who you just played pickup basketball with during lunch.

I think that's very cool and very valuable to me to know that there's that community supporting me and that I can support others. So yeah, I think that would be my why. Well, Danny, it's been great having you on the show. I thank you so much for taking the time to share stories and insights and experiences with us.

To our listeners, thank you so much for tuning in and we'll hope you'll join us next Wednesday for another episode of Late Start Show. Thanks, Danny. Thank you.