Hurts So Good

No pain, no gainers.

Troy Dumais, it seems, can’t have one without the other.

He made the U.S. Olympic diving team by performing scant hours after suffering through two kidney stone attacks.

He has trouble sleeping, perhaps a symptom of his attention deficit disorder, perhaps the anxiety of not knowing when the next kidney stone will force him out of bed and to the hospital.

But guts, he’s got plenty. Glory too.

Dumais, who grew up in Ventura and attended Buena High, had to be helped to the pool at the Olympic trials at Federal Way, Wash., in June. He had spent much of the night in a hospital trying to pass a stone. His agony was unceasing because he was unable to take pain-killers on the Olympic banned list.

Two hours before the finals he had another attack and was again rushed to the hospital, where his system was flushed with fluids intravenously.

His coach, Matt Scoggin, asked Dumais if an alternate diver should be called.

“Warn him, let him know to get ready and practice, but if I’m anywhere near walking, I’m diving because I’ve earned it,” Dumais told Scoggin. “I’ve worked for this too many years, four years, eight years, since I was a little kid.”

Those four years were full of pain too. In fact, more than any kidney stones.

Dumais, then 16, finished third at the Olympic trials. Only two divers make the team. David Pichler beat Dumais on his last dive.

Four years later, Dumais would not be denied. The first kidney stone episode subsided in the wee hours of the morning. He rested, then rushed to the hospital a second time in the afternoon, leaving at 5:20 p.m.

The competition began at 6:30.

His dives were solid, but the final effort by Mark Ruiz, a reverse 3 1/2 somersault tuck with a half twist, resulted in a stunning score of 98.70 that put him in first place and placed Dumais in jeopardy of not making the team.

It was deja vu. Dumais stood helplessly at poolside as Pichler made his last dive, just like four years earlier. The result would determine who took the second spot on the Olympic team.

This time Dumais couldn’t watch.

“In the back of my mind I knew I did everything I possibly could do, and I just put it in God’s hands,” he said. “[In 1996] I sat there and watched as he made his dives. This time I was just getting changed with my back to him.”

Pichler hit the water and Dumais peeked at the scores. He had held onto second place.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “The way it’s been going the past couple of years, no matter how well I dive something always goes wrong. Finally, one of these things went my way.”

Now Dumais is bound for Sydney. He is looking forward to the entire Olympic experience.

“I’ll enjoy every minute,” he said. “My whole career is a lesson in going for your goals no matter what the bumps in the road might be.

“As far as the diving goes, the Olympics are just like any other meet. I must take advantage of the situation. That’s when you win a medal. People who think of it as the biggest meet in the world will screw up. I’m going to be myself and have fun.”

The top 18 divers after optionals will do five required dives. The top 12 will advance to the finals. Dumais expects the Chinese, Russians and Germans to give U.S. divers the strongest competition.

“I’ve been diving against them for years,” he said.

Making the trip to Sydney will be Dumais’ parents, Marc and Kathleen. Marc is a Ventura dentist who attended Santa Clara High. The former Kathleen Beck attended Oxnard High.

“It takes a lot of dedication, faith and courage to go through what Troy has gone through,” Kathleen said. “It’s a lonely trek. Troy is a self-motivator and a perfectionist.”

As a record 19-time national junior champion, Dumais didn’t always get much competition. A push was provided by his brother, Justin, 22, who finished 13th at the Olympic trials. Justin and Troy, 20, both attend the University of Texas.

Their three younger siblings are also national-caliber divers. Brice, 19, is a two-time junior national champion who attends Southern Methodist. Leanne, 15, is a sophomore at Buena who was fourth in the 1999 world championships and Dwight, 13, finished ninth in the world championships in his age group.

Dumais’ parents steered him into diving at age 5 to avoid putting him on medication for ADD. He took to the sport like a duck to water and soon his siblings followed suit.

“Swimming was too repetitious for him,” Kathleen said. “He needed gymnastics in the water, and that’s what diving is.”

His hyperactive mind and body still have trouble settling down for sleep.

“I have to stay active all day,” Dumais said. “I throw a football, play basketball, hockey. I run. I jet ski. You name it. If I’m not active, I cannot sleep at all.”

When he gets to sleep, sometimes kidney stones rouse him better than any alarm clock. Doctors believe his stones are caused by nutritional supplements that crystallize when he becomes dehydrated.

“It’s usually a yearly event,” he said. “I’m not too worried about it happening in Sydney.”

Regardless of the obstacle, Dumais rarely reacts with dismay. He’s a fighter.

“There is a reason why hard times happen,” he said. “So many people, when they have hard times, they quit. I’m realizing you can do it no matter what.”

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TROY DUMAIS PROFILE

Age: 20

Birthplace: Ventura

High school: Buena

College: Texas

Honors: Won outdoor national springboard championships in 1996, 1997 and 1998. He was named U.S. diver of the year in 1997, when he was also second in the platform at outdoor nationals. Finished second in springboard and platform at 1999 indoor nationals. The 1997 junior world champion won 19 national junior titles, the most in U.S. history.

SYDNEY SCHEDULE

What: Men’s springboard diving

When: Sept. 25-26

Where: Sydney International Aquatic Centre

Qualifying: Preliminaries on Sept. 25; semifinals and finals on Sept. 26

Medal Favorites: Dmitry Sautin of Russia, Zhou Yilin of China, Fernando Platas of Mexico and Mark Ruiz of U.S.