Laura Wilkinson

Laura Ann Wilkinson (born November 17, 1977 in Texas) is a former American diver. As a child, Wilkinson was a gymnast, but had to give up on the sport after a growth spurt during puberty made her too tall to continue. She wanted to occupy herself with another sport like gymnastics that would allow her to compete barefoot, but she had not yet

made a final decision. Wilkinson is a 2001 graduate of the University of Texas, where she majored in public relations. She trains in The Woodlands, Texas and is married to Eriek Hulseman. She also travels around the country speaking to girls at The Revolve Tour, a Christian girls' conference. One day, while swimming in the gym's pool, she witnessed a young female diver in-training execute an impressive dive, and she quickly developed an interest in the sport herself. She would then take up platform diving, where in 1995, she joined the U.S. national team. Six months prior to the 2000 Summer Olympics, Wilkinson suffered a serious foot injury that kept her out of action for a couple of months. During this time, she used mental images to visualize her dives. Her foot was not fully recovered by the time she started diving again, but she was able to