U.S. diver Loukas has local ties

By John Kovach

Her grandparents, Loretta and the late Nick Conroy, lived in Campbell.

There will be a Youngstown-area connection in the diving competition at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

Christine Loukas, a senior diver for Indiana University who has relatives in Campbell, will represent the United States in the 3-meter springboard diving at the Games Aug. 15-17.

Loukas, the granddaughter of Loretta (O’Shea) and the late Nick Conroy of Grayslake, Ill., both formerly from Campbell, qualified for the Games by placing first in the event at the U.S. Trials June 21 at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis.

Loukas capitalized on her consistency to average a 9.0 score on her final of five dives to win the title with 1,092.10 points, 89.25 ahead of Nancilea (Underwood) Foster, a former Iowa diver.

Loukas will also try to earn an Olympic berth in the 3-meter synchronized diving event during the Olympic team selection camp, which started Wednesday and runs through Sunday in Knoxville, Tenn.

The daughter of Patty Loukas and George Loukas of Riverwoods, Ill., and a Deerfield (Ill.) High graduate, Loukas credited her concentration while she was competing for helping her to win in the trials.

“The entire time I have been focusing on the process and not the outcome which really allowed me to perform well,” said Loukas. “Right now I just can’t believe it has happened.”

Loukas was cheered on by a large group of friends, family and teammates, including her grandmother who made the trip to Indianapolis, and her coaches.

Loretta Conroy believes gymnastics played a big role in her granddaughter’s diving success.

“She started gymnastics when she was three and then started swimming and diving when she was 12,” said Conroy, a 1949 graduate of Campbell Memorial. Nick Conroy was a 1948 Campbell Memorial graduate.

“She has good discipline, is very dedicated to her sport. Gymnastics helped her a lot with her diving. It is like basic training for diving. It gives you poise and grace and everything that comes with it, and she fell in love with diving.”

Conroy is planning to make the trip to Beijing.

Indiana’s diving coach , Jeff Huber, said that, “Christina is very disciplined, hard working, intelligent, and very coachable.”

But he also credits Loukas’ family for providing her with a strong foundation on which to develop her diving talent.

“Her parents are model parents for how parents should support their children as athletes,” said Huber. “It also helps that George was a successful athlete and has passed on some helpful ideas to Christina. “

Loukas has kept Indiana’s Olympic diving streak going, being the third Hoosier to make the U.S. teams. Sara Reiling-Hildebrand competed in 2000 and 2004 while Cassandra Cardinell and Kimiko (Hirai) Soldati earned spots for the 2004 Games.

And Loukas conceivably could have some Indiana company at the Beijing Olympics because Cardinell is in the running for a berth in platform diving.

Although Cardinell placed third in the U.S. trials in platform diving (only the winner at the trials qualifies for the Olympics), she will get another chance to be the second and final U.S. qualifier this week in Knoxville.

kovach@vindy.com