Legendary Olympic Diving Coach Betty Perkins-Carpenter Dies at 87

Photo Courtesy: Taylor Brien

Legendary Olympic diving coach Betty Perkins-Carpenter passed away over the weekend at the age of 85. According to the Democrat & Chronicle, Perkins-Carpenter had also battled with cancer and was a resident of Penfield, New York.

Perkins-Carpenter became involved with aquatic sports when she entered a swim meet at the age of 6. From there, she went on to become an accomplished diver and attended college at Cortland, joining the Air Force as the Korean War approached.

She remained involved in aquatics by founding the Perkins Swim Club, where she taught children how to swim in her backyard, before becoming a coach at the University of Rochester. She also served as a diving coach for the U.S. Summer Olympic team in 1972, before coaching both the Turkish men’s and women’s diving teams at the 1976 Olympic Games.

Perkins-Carpenter coached Olympic bronze-medalist and 1982 World diving champion Wendy Wyland and also served as a coach for Greg Louganis on international trips.

In addition to her coaching success, Perkins-Carpenter was also an expert on senior fitness. She founded the company Senior Fitness Productions, which provided routines to help seniors avoid falling.

The Democrat & Chronicle and WHEC contributed to this report.

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