Chat With Jane Figueiredo

Jane Figueiredo Chat Wrap

UH Diving Coach took questions Tuesday, November 4 at 11:30 a.m.

Moderator: Good morning everyone, We are very fortunate to have UH diving head coach Jane Figueiredo with us today for our on-line chat.

Moderator: Some of you have already posted questions so we will get to those first but please feel free to ask as we go along. Jane has about 15-20 minutes to answer your questions, so let's get started.

John(Tampa): Coach, How is the new facility and where does it rank with facilities around the country?

Jane Figueiredo: THe facility is unbelievable. It is one of the best in the country. The architecture is just beautiful and it is very diver friendly.

Pat(Houston): Caoch Jane: Who have you got on your team this year and where do you see yourselves ranked at the end of the season?

Jane Figueiredo: Obviously, we recruited out of the country this year. We have a German girl who is outstanding on the plattform. I am expecting her to finish among the TOp 8 at the NCAAs. We have a young freshman out of Arizona who is young and inexperienced. And of course, we have Azul Almazan who is already stepping up to the challenge for filling some big shoes.

Terri(Houston): Coach - now that Pakhalina has finished her eligibility what are her plans and how do you replace someone of her ability?

Jane Figueiredo: Yulia is in Houston now and will be training for the Olympics with us. She will continue her studies and hopefully graduate. You can't replace someone of her ability. You just try to keep the Russian connection going and see if we can bring some more at a later date.

Patty(Indianapolis): How does the change in C-USA affect your diving and where would you like to be competing if you had a choice?

Jane Figueiredo: If we had a choice, the Pac-10, Big Ten and SEC are very competitive for diving. Those are the top school as the NCAAs. If they add SMU, they have always had a good program. Louisville has a very storng program and we are losign them. We are losing Cincinnati.

Mark(Los Angeles): Coach, What are the chances for another gold medal this next Olympics? Who are your main competition?

Jane Figueiredo: The chances are very good. We have a 50-50 shot. We are training more than we did in 2000. Hopefully that is a good thing. We have Yulia and Vera training together now in our new facility. That is why we dive. We are diving to win. We don't want to be second or third.

Henry (Houston): Congratulations on your continuous success on the diving program. Your ability to bring world-wide talent to this cougar land is amazing. Could you talk about current major international recruit and any future major recruit? Thanks!

Jane Figueiredo: Obviously, right now the international circuit is very strong and we have a very good connection. Being afforded the opportunity to go with Yulia and Vera to the meets allows me the chance to see those athletes first-hand. Coaching them also puts me in a fortunate situation.

Dallas: When can we see UH's Dive team compete in Dallas?

Jane Figueiredo: Next year, I believe that we have a dual meet with SMU. Unfortunately, we were invited to the SMU Classic late and we couldn't arrange to make it work this year. We come to Dallas whenever there is a competition.

Moderator: Are there any more questions for Coach Figueiredo?

Moderator: What do you think of your divers' performances to date this season?

Jane Figueiredo: Azul is making some great strides. We have three new people who are training hard and have great attitudes. They just need to learn to compete in college. We have the UH Fall Invitaitonal in a couple of weeks and we have some great schools coming. I think we will step up the challenge and compete with some good diving teams.

Jane Figueiredo: The swimming team is greatly improved this year. We beat Cincinnati and we've never done that before and we did it without diving. That takes a load off me. We want continue to improve on our Top 25 ranking which will be tough. My divers have a long way to go before the NCAA. Coach Taylor is doing an awesome job.

Moderator: Are there any more questions for Jane?

Moderator: That's all the time that we have with Coach Jane Figueiredo for now. Thanks to her for taking the time to join us.

Moderator: Just a reminder... The Cougars return to action Nov. 20-22 when they host the UH Fall Invitational at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium. Come join us as UH faces some of the nation's top collegiate programs. Thanks for joining us and have a great day!

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