Samantha Pickens is a decorated diver and a member of the USA diving team. Samantha started diving at the age of 13 and has since competed around the world — including winning sixth place at the 2020 World Cup in Tokyo, Japan. Samantha majored in psychology at the University of Arizona while she trained under the direction of Coach Omar Ojeda.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- Samantha Pickens explains how she fell in love with the sport of diving
- How Samantha balances her mental health needs with a packed training schedule
- Tips for handling intense pressure during a competition
- Samantha discusses the major turning points in her career
- Samantha’s advice to young athletes: it’s okay to have bad days
In this episode…
Most young athletes dream of competing in the Olympics, but what does it take to make that a reality? What does day-to-day life look like for competitive athletes — and how do they balance their mental health with the pressure of competition?
Meet Samantha Pickens, a member of the USA diving team. She first fell in love with swimming and competitive gymnastics, but after racking up injuries from the balance beam, she needed to find another outlet. A friend recommended combining her two passions and pursuing diving. After just a few months, Samantha was hooked — and the rest is history.
On this episode of the Sports Up podcast, Meredith Syms is joined by Samantha Pickens, a decorated diver and a member of the USA diving team. Samantha describes her intense daily practice routine, how she makes her mental health a priority, and what she learned from competing in Tokyo. She also shares her advice for balancing your mind and body as an athlete.
Resources Mentioned in this episode
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This episode is brought to you by me, Meredith Syms.
My biggest personal and professional passion is to be one of the top female leaders in sports broadcasting—a typically male-dominated industry.
Communications, interviewing, and broadcasting are some of my biggest skills and interests, and I want to develop this podcast as a way of sharing my passions with you, the listener.
I am currently working toward my goal of interning for a professional sports team. If you know someone I should connect with, please send me an email at meredith@sportsuppodcast.com. I am willing to work my butt off!
I am always looking for more great guests to feature on the Sports Up Podcast. If you or someone you know is an inspiring female leader, I would love to hear from you.
To learn more about me and what I do, visit sportsuppodcast.com today!