Thanks To Inspiration From His Father, Jordan Rzepka Is One Of Top Collegiate Divers In The Country

Jordan Rzepka competes during the men's 10-meter platform individual preliminaries at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials -- Diving on June 6, 2021 in Indianapolis.

When his father decided to have a pool installed in the family’s backyard while he was growing up, Jordan Rzepka wanted a slide leading into it.
“What little kid doesn’t want a slide in their backyard?” said Rzepka, whose father had other ideas. “He made the smart decision to put in a diving board instead of a slide.”
Jeff Rzepka clearly knew what he was doing. His son eventually became a national champion diver who has competed at the world championships and now has his sights set on the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Rzepka had followed his older sister, Nicole, into the sport.
“I was in a few sports before I actually got into diving,” Rzepka said. “I was playing soccer and baseball, just like a normal kid.
“I started diving at the age of 10 years old. I would go into (Nicole’s) practice just because I thought it was fun.”
Once he dove into the water, Rzepka knew that he had found his long-term sport.
“When diving started, I was like, this is something that I love,” he said. “I need to be moving constantly. I’m not a big cardio guy, so diving was nice.
“I was never the type of diver who was scared most of the time. There was fear here and there, but I was always down to do the bigger, harder dives.”
Rzepka, who was born in Cleveland and now lives in Solon, Ohio, progressed as a diver, moving from club to club for higher-level coaching and facilities.
“And then my family made a huge sacrifice for me,” he said. “In seventh grade, my parents bought a house down in New Albany (near) Columbus, and one parent would be with me for one week, the other one for the next week.”
That was so Rzepka could take full advantage of the outstanding coaching and facilities at Ohio State University, whose club team already had national champion divers on its roster.
“I wanted to (go) all out,” he said. “I didn’t have anyone to push me at the time. That’s where my diving, I would say, started to take off.
“I just really wanted to be a part of that program so I could get pushed to be the best that I could be at that time.”

Jordan Rzepka competes during the men's 10-meter platform individual semifinals at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials -- Diving on June 6, 2021 in Indianapolis.

Though he had won national championships in lower age groups, Rzepka said that his breakthrough came at the 2019 junior national championships, where he won the 3-meter springboard competition. 
“In 2019 I really put in work, a lot of work, to get that national championship,” Rzepka said. “There’s always more that needs to be done, but that was a good point for me to start.”
When it came time to choose a college, Purdue University became the clear choice for Rzepka.
“There was something about Adam (Soldati),” said Rzepka of the Purdue diving coach. “I just loved the way Adam handled his divers. He’s more of a life coach as well as a diving coach. He helps with so much more outside of the pool.”
Rzepka, a 20-year-old sophomore selling and sales management major, is an academic All-Big 10 diver. He sandwiches two practices a day around his studies. In addition to Soldati, he receives advice from assistant coach David Boudia, a four-time Olympic medalist and Purdue graduate.
That gives Rzepka two experienced voices to help him hone his craft. He said he came to Purdue because he wanted to make the Olympics, and having Soldati and Boudia coaching him can help him get there. 
While he broke out in 2019, Rzepka counts last December’s winter national championships performance as his best so far, as he won the platform diving competition handily.
“It was the first time I really felt locked into my dives,” he said. “I really started training my mental game, and just seeing the pieces come together was really nice. It was the first time where I had a (diving) list where I didn’t miss anything badly. 
“Everything was just fairly consistent. I beat my personal best by around 50 points. It was a good meet to boost confidence.”
At next month’s 2023 USA Diving National Championships in Morgantown, West Virginia, Rzepka will compete in synchronized diving with 2020 U.S. Olympian and Purdue graduate Brandon Loschiavo.
“He’s almost been like another coach to me,” Rzepka said. “He’s been a huge role model for me this last year.
“I never imagined we’d be where we are right now. He has helped me so much with so many things. He’s got me on a good path.”
With a bit of good fortune, that path will lead to the Olympic Games in 2024 and 2028.
“Anything can happen in diving. You never know,” Rzepka said. “I would love to go to (Los Angeles in) 2028. It would be really awesome to have an Olympics diving in front of a home crowd.”