Bucknell University Athletics
Alone on the Boards
1/28/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
Jan. 28, 2010
By Todd Merriett, Bucknell Athletic Communications
If you go to YouTube and search for David Magaro, not only will a handful of diving videos appear, but a number of entertaining clips of him performing numerous flips, jumps and spins with his body off roofs, playground equipment and ledges will show up. Words cannot describe how impressive some of the body movements are. But, even with no water or Speedos in sight, it can easily be seen why he is already one of the best divers in Bucknell history.
Instead of following a traditional path to a spot on the Bison swimming and diving team, Magaro toyed around with the discipline called parkour, or free running. Tremendous body control is needed and participants attempt stunts that most sane individuals could not even concoct in a wild dream.
Magaro tried most of the traditional team sports youngsters play, including basketball, baseball and football, while growing up in Enola, Pa., just outside of Harrisburg. He even wrestled for six years, but did not fall in love with any of the activities. Around the time he was in junior high he started experimenting with parkour and ended up being a natural. At the same time, his mother suggested he try diving, which he did with rousing success.
Now that he is a Division I college student-athlete, Magaro has ceased most of his parkour acrobatics, but will occasionally impress others with his athleticism. At a recent team gathering, he performed a back flip off a teammate's back, but the teammate's hips shifted forward and Magaro lost his balance and landed sideways on his ankle. With some help from the Bucknell training staff the freshman did not miss any practice time, although he earned the ire of his coach.
Despite some outlandish stunts, Magaro says he never suffered a major injury doing parkour, although he does make regular visits to a chiropractor he credits to some of his hard landings.
It is paramount for the Bison that Magaro does not get hurt this season as he is the lone diver on the roster. In a bit of an oddity, three Bucknell divers graduated last spring and Bison head coach Dan Schinnerer and diving coach Errol Carter inked only Magaro.
"Dave is a great kid with a great personality who makes practice fun," mentions Carter, the 2009 Patriot League Diving Coach of the Year. "He has had an impact already. I knew he was special, but I wasn't sure how special he really is. There is a lot he can accomplish by his senior year and we have actually had to rein him in a bit because he wants to do so much. He has certainly met and exceeded my expectations and his transition to the college level has gone very well."
Magaro, who was also the only diver on his high school squad, is the lone male to spend practice in the diving well at the north end of Kinney Natatorium with Carter, but he is not alone as he practices with the six divers on the Bison women's team.
"Hopefully next year we will have a couple more guys because right now it is me and six girls," says Magaro with a smile. "It's different. I don't really know how to describe it. They are all like sisters to me."
While Magaro, who has five siblings ranging from 5-year-old twin sisters to a 20-year-old brother, is the only male diver, his list of pre-Bucknell accolades more than makes up for the absence of comrades. The 18-year-old was a four-time district and state medalist, a four-time conference champion and an all-state honoree four times while competing for East Pennsboro Area High School. Interestingly enough, all four state medals came at Bucknell's seven-year-old Kinney Natatorium, which has played host to the PIAA Championships since 2005.
"The pool was a big, big factor in my decision to attend Bucknell," says Magaro, who received a thumbs up from his uncle - a former swimmer at Shippensburg University - after his recruiting visit. "I was familiar with it from states and it was one of the nicest, if not the nicest, pools I looked at."
In just one semester at Bucknell, Magaro has quickly added to his list of accomplishments, moving into second place on the program's top-10 list off the one-meter board (279.90) and third place off the three-meter (270.00) with stellar performances in a dual meet against George Mason, the first scored meet of his collegiate career.
"I didn't look at the top-10 lists before coming here and after the (George Mason) meet somebody told me," remembers Magaro. "It was kind of cool."
Overall, Magaro registered four gold medals and 10 top-three showings before he took a college final exam. He only expects those numbers to increase as the second half of the campaign kicks off in early January.
"I have some lofty goals," remarks a confident Magaro. "I like to shoot for the stars. I would like to take down the (school) records on the board (inside Kinney Natatorium) and win Patriots. My ultimate goal is to compete at NCAAs and make the Olympic Trials."
Magaro's next step toward fulfilling his goals will take place in January and February as the Bison get into the meat of their schedule. They have three road Patriot League duals, the final home meet of the season and the Navy Invitational before the end of the calendar year's first month. The Patriot League Championships will then take place Feb. 18-20 at Navy, an event Magaro is looking forward to.
"I pretty much live for competition," mentions Magaro. "I learn some things in practice and do well, but my best performances come during the meet. I think my coaches like that because I put up some good numbers and score points."
At least this year Magaro will have his father, Ronald, in the stands in Annapolis to cheer him on at a championship meet. A member of the Army National Guard, he was not in Kinney Natatorium at the state meet last March due to a nine-month tour of duty in Iraq. Luckily, the Bucknell and PIAA staff helped set up a live video feed of the diving competition that Ronald was able to access in Iraq.
Magaro says it was a difficult time for his large, tight-knit family while his father - also a former swimmer at Shippensburg − was overseas, but they are all glad to have him back. He returned home in September and they are hopeful he won't have to go back. If he is called back to duty, he will likely head to Afghanistan.
As long as he is stateside, Ronald can enjoy watching his son's spins, flips and acrobatics he originally perfected in the backyard and local playgrounds with no water in view. Maybe someday the Olympic Trials dream will come true and Magaro will be able to represent his country, albeit in a different way than his father.
Note: This story appeared in a recent edition of the Bucknell Basketball Gameday Program.
