Young Franklin Square diver Ayden Parris claims national championships

For Ayden Parris, a fifth grader at Polk Street School in Franklin Square, the sport of diving is more than learning how to twist, flip and enter the water — it's taken him across the country, introduced him to friends from different states and, this summer, helped him reach the top of the podium.

The 10-year-old won the USA Diving Junior Nationals in the 1-meter and 3-meter events this summer, adding to a series of strong finishes that have made for a most memorable year.

Ayden also won the AAU national championships in the 1-meter, 3-meter and platform events in July in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Earlier in the year, he won the AAU Red, White and Blue Championships and was one of the top point scorers at the USA Diving Zones competition in June.

For his mother, Colleen Parris, watching her son win a national championship was an extremely emotional moment.

“I cried when he won,” Parris said. “He wanted so badly because last year at USA Diving he took third and fourth in the events, so he really wanted to win this year.”

Ayden began diving about three or four summers ago through the Town of Hempstead’s learn-to-dive program at Echo Park. Parris, who coaches swimming, initially thought diving might be a way to encourage her son to stay involved in swimming. Instead, Ayden discovered a sport that he quickly embraced.

He also competes in gymnastics, traveling to West Babylon to train and compete with BK Gymnastics Center because of the limited number of local boys’ gymnastics teams.

That gymnastics training has become an important part of his development as a diver.

Kieran Krowl, his gymnastics coach, said Ayden’s strength, flexibility, spatial awareness and ability to learn twisting techniques all translate to his success at diving.

“He's a fantastic gymnast," Krowl said. "He's great, and he's a great diver. But even more than that, he's just as good of a kid.”

He added that Ayden stood out early because of his form and body control.

“Sometimes when you just look at a kid, you know that he has it, whatever that is,” he said. “He has it in diving, but he definitely has it in gymnastics as well.”

George Taylor III, Ayden’s diving coach with Long Island Divers, has worked with him for about two years. Taylor said Ayden is attentive, humble and enjoyable to coach.

“He pays attention well,” Taylor said. “He's very humble. He cuts for the other divers. Just kind of like a dream kid.”

Taylor brings decades of experience to Ayden’s training and has coached divers including Andrew Capobianco, who won a silver medal in synchronized 3-meter diving at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

For Taylor, however, Ayden’s potential is not simply about athletic ability.

“He likes to compete,” Taylor said. “He really enjoys competing, which is a good thing.”

Krowl said the difference between being a good athlete and becoming a champion often comes down to an athlete’s mindset.

“They believe in themselves. They push themselves,” he said. “As a coach, I can't want it more than the athlete, so it really — they are self-driven.”

The 10-year-old is still at the beginning of his athletic journey, which, Kieran said, makes his progress especially exciting.

“He's working a double fold, which is a double twist on four,” he said. “As a 10-year-old, that's pretty good.”

Parris said her son’s success also has given him opportunities beyond competition. He is now a member of the AAU national team and was invited to travel to Germany and Poland, though the family decided not to make those trips.

He also has prequalified for next year's USA Diving Junior Nationals.

Parris said that despite her son's medals and growing list of accomplishments, she tries to keep the focus on him enjoying the sport.

When Ayden competes, he can often be found having fun with other divers, even teaching them how to moonwalk behind the diving board, his mother said.

“I try to keep it in perspective,” Parris said. “Number one is have fun. Number two is try your best, and then you try to think about winning.”

For now, Ayden is doing what his coaches and mother hope he will continue to do: working hard, enjoying competing and seeing how far his talents take him.