Diving coach brings The Woodlands gold-medal pedigree

Though Kenny Armstrong has worked with Olympic gold medalists Greg Louganis and Woodlands native, Laura Wilkinson, his goal has always been just to get each of his diving school students a college scholarship. His track record on that score speaks for itself.

Since 1989, every single one of his students have gone on to earn a Division 1 scholarship, said Armstrong, who is director for the diving program at The Woodlands Diving Academy.

He himself was a successful diver, a three-time Canadian Olympian, having grown up in a small town near Toronto. It was while competing at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal that he was spotted by Mike Brown, the diving coach at the time for The University of Texas at Austin. Armstrong ended up attending UT and competing on its diving team from 1976 to 1980 while majoring in psychology with a minor in physical education.

"I did that minor because I knew I wanted to be a coach," he said.

Following college, Armstrong was recruited to Boca Raton, Fla. to assist Ron O'Brien, then coach for Louganis. This was a reunion of sorts for Armstrong, who had known Louganis since Louganis was 14 years old and had competed against him at the Montreal games. For Armstrong, it was an honor to be in Louganis' presence because of his skills in the sport.

The two still stay in touch, Armstrong said, and he uses many of Louganis' training exercises with his current students.

"Anytime you are in the presence of someone like him who understands his skills, you always learn something," Armstrong said.

Armstrong has been a U.S. National Team coach since 1989, the year he returned to Texas as head coach of The Woodlands Operating Co.'s diving team. Though it would not seem like Armstrong could eclipse the high of working with one of the best divers in the world, he says the "icing on the cake" on his career was coaching Wilkinson, who went on to win a gold medal at the 2000 Olympics.

"It was a very nice journey with her," Armstrong said. "It's one of those things that you always wished would happen, and for me, it came true."

Wilkinson's success has helped draw more children into the sport of diving, Armstrong said. That has led him to focus on his newest project—building a state-of-the-art diving school to replace the one they had at the Woodlands Athletic Center.

He trained his students at the facility until it closed in 2008. He calls the Woodlands Athletic Center, or WAC as it was commonly referred to, as "the most special facility in the world."

His students now train at Conroe ISD's new natatorium. However, Armstrong envisions building a new facility that would be not for swimming and diving, but just for diving and similar sports— gymnastics, dance and acrobatics.

Though Armstrong said he is close to putting together a deal, he is still seeking investors to help get the facility "signed, sealed and delivered."

"We need to be competitive with countries like China, and this facility will lead the way," he said. "This has been my dream for about 40 years, and I am going to see it through to fruition."