From Reluctant Rookie to State Medalist, Kennedy High Senior Finds Passion on the Diving Board
When Samuel Pikofsky-Christiansen first heard the John F. Kennedy High School swim and dive coach calling his name, he wasn’t exactly sprinting toward the pool.
“I kept saying no,” Pikofsky-Christiansen said, laughing. “I told everyone diving wasn’t for me. I had done gymnastics for years and never thought I’d end up on a diving board.”
But with encouragement from Coach Bryn Blanchard and a few nudges from friends, he gave it a shot his sophomore year. What started as curiosity turned into a passion that would carry him to the medals podium.
Now a senior, Pikofsky-Christiansen recently earned third place at the Maryland State Diving Championships, capping off a journey fueled by determination, self-motivation and a surprising change of heart.
“It came pretty easy at first because of my gymnastics background,” he said. “It was just me learning as I went — asking questions at meets, watching others and pushing myself.”
Blanchard remembers that first season as both impressive and unconventional.
“He was basically self-taught,” she said. “I didn’t have a diving background, so I found what I could online and passed it along. But Sam ran with it; he wanted to grow.”
He eventually joined MDC Dive Club, a private club that offered more structured technical training. With each season, he improved — and began to lead.
This year, he helped transform Kennedy’s dive team
from a solo act to a full squad of six. He mentored teammates, offered tips on technique and made sure everyone had a turn on the board — literally and figuratively.
“Seeing them stick with it, succeed and love it the way I did — that’s the part I’m most proud of,” he said. “I brought diving to the table, but they brought the drive.”
Blanchard credits his leadership with changing the team’s culture.
“He’s such a positive force,” she said. “He celebrated others’ wins just as much as his own. He made diving exciting and accessible.”
Pikofsky-Christiansen is now committed to dive Division I at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he plans to study music and continue mentoring.
For someone who once swore he’d never dive, his story is a reminder of what can happen when you take a leap.
“I really did fall in love with it,” he said. “There’s something about being in the air — it’s freeing. But it’s the people, the energy, the team — that’s what kept me coming back.”
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Visit Sam’s Instagram to see videos of his dives, training routines, and highlights from his journey as a competitive diver.