photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World
Free State freshman Gavin McIntosh placed 12th in his first season diving at the 6A state swim and dive meet at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center on Saturday, February 22, 2025.
A little over a year ago, Gavin McIntosh had never dove competitively before. Now, he’s qualified for state after his first meet of the season.
McIntosh, a sophomore at Free State, had always been around the sport of diving to some extent. His dad, Randy, dove in high school and was a two-time state placer in Kansas. He introduced the sport to his son, whose interest grew as he watched more and more videos of divers in competition.
So, the summer before his freshman year, McIntosh started going to the public pool and would practice diving leading up to his first year with the Firebirds. He believes he missed only four days of diving each summer in total.
“I mostly went to the outdoor pool and did that with friends,” McIntosh said. “I would mess around for a bit, and then I’d actually work on my dives. I was there six hours a day, all week.”
Even with the hard work put in over the summer, it took some time for McIntosh to get into a groove on the diving board. He was focused on his approach and some of the broader aspects of diving, aspects that are now second nature to him.
McIntosh’s work ethic helped him quickly rise to be one of the state’s top divers. He finished 12th in the boys state swim and dive meet, and he soon after shifted his focus to the following year.
So McIntosh spent his 2025 summer just like he spent his 2024 summer: on the diving board. Already, it’s paid dividends.
“This summer was definitely a lot more improvement,” McIntosh said. “I worked on my optionals way more than I did last year. So I have a lot higher (degree of difficulty), higher dives, higher scores.”
McIntosh worked on a few things, including flipping at a faster speed. That’s allowed him to already nail harder dives with more complex flips.
Technique plays a critical role in diving. When McIntosh first started, he looked to his teammate Constantine Shipley for direction. Now, the two are able to help each other with their technique at practices as McIntosh has grown in his understanding of the sport.
The Free State divers as a collective built a strong environment for growth. McIntosh said they’re all like brothers.
“We’re all friends and hanging out and having fun,” McIntosh said. “We have our times where we mess around, but we also have our time where we lock in and help each other out.”
That technical improvement has played a part in McIntosh’s hot start to the year, in which he qualified for the state meet to open the season.
“My old personal record was 220, now it’s 272,” McIntosh said. “It’s definitely the putting in a lot of work now showing.”
McIntosh grew up flipping, even if it wasn’t off a diving board all the time. In 2015, when he was 6, McIntosh started going to a cheer and power tumbling gym in Lawrence, where he took trampoline lessons.
That got him good at flipping. McIntosh then got into gymnastics, which helped him with his rotation speed on flips. It all has led to him committing to diving and finding success quickly.
Throughout his diving journey, McIntosh’s dad has been a big help in supporting him and advising him on diving. But the biggest influence on McIntosh’s career has been a Free State diving alumnus who currently dives for Rockhurst, Michael Leonard. The two first met over the summer of 2024 at the outdoor pool when McIntosh was first trying out the sport.
“One day he came up to me and was like, ‘You’re actually pretty good,’” McIntosh said. “He started to help me, showing me how to do this and that. And that really boosted from there. Being recognized by an older dude is always a good feeling when you’re young.”
The quick development in his diving career has led McIntosh to create some lofty goals for himself. The exciting thing is that he’s still only a sophomore with so much potential for growth left.
“Hopefully I finish top five in state,” McIntosh said. “Next year… I think getting close to a state title would be fun.”