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Coach Terry Horner of Orlando Dive Academy | Photo by Ella Snyder, The Orlando Life
Terry Horner coaches Orlando’s next generation of divers
Published July 23, 2025
When Terry Horner was six years old, he wanted two super powers: the ability to fly and the ability to breathe underwater. This led him to what eventually became a lifelong passion for the sport of diving. A Central Florida native, Terry rose to prominence in the diving world, winning the title of NCAA Champion in 2007 and competing in the Olympic Trials in 2008.
The Making of a Club Team
In 2018, Terry and his wife Jaq Horner took their love for diving to the next level and started coaching the Winter Park High School diving team. By the end of the school season, Terry and Jaq had their sights set on opening a club team so that their divers could practice year-round.
“I opened it up, and we only had two kids actually sign up for the team,” Terry said. “But I kind of thought to myself, ‘man, what are we doing?’ I don't know if that's going to work. But we went ahead, and went with it.”
Two months later, Orlando Dive Academy had grown to more than 30 athletes.
Before forming ODA, Terry and Jaq had never run a business before.
“My wife, Jaq, she's the one who is the real brains behind our operation and everything that we do.”
Also a highly decorated diver, Jaq competed for the University of Minnesota and later, Florida State University alongside Terry.
Terry also credits his parents for setting an example of how to run a business.
“My dad, back in 1980, started a HVAC company. So I grew up with my mom and my dad running a business, and watching and seeing them be successful and struggle. In air conditioning, it’s kind of feast or famine.”
Although in a different industry, Terry has also encountered his fair share of challenges. When Terry and Jaq first started at Winter Park, they only had access to one diving board and were given limited hours at the pool.
“So as our team grew, we had to try to find a way for us to be able to get more full time, and more hours and everything else in.”
This meant creating multiple training groups and finding a larger pool to practice at.
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Photo by Ella Snyder, The Orlando Life
The Move to the Rosen Center
In Summer 2021, ODA made the switch to The Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center on I-Drive.
“It's kind of a dream come true. I mean, they have everything that we could possibly need. The level of training that we're capable of accomplishing in this facility is significantly different than what we did before.”
The Rosen Center is equipped with four one meter springboards, four three meter springboards, a full set of towers, spotting rigs, dryboards, trampolines, and a spring floor.
Since moving to the Rosen, ODA has thrived competitively. Last year, the club finished seventh overall in the nation. Diver Jake Mannarino also represented ODA at the 2024 World Aquatics Junior Diving Championships, placing ninth overall on 10 meter platform.
Even as ODA has grown, they have maintained their close knit team. Diver Nico Santiago was one of ODA’s first divers.
“I've been training with ODA for seven years now, and that sense of family has never gone away, even as they've expanded,” Nico said. “Jaq and Terry have just maintained that sense of family, that sense of community, and are super welcome to me even when I come back from school.”
Nico just completed his second year at Georgetown University, where he is a member of the swimming and diving team.
Nico Santiago Diving on 3m Springboard | Photo by Ella Snyder, The Orlando Life
Diving is on the Decline
There are no other diving clubs in Central Florida comparable in size to ODA. For Terry, providing all of Orlando with diving is an exciting challenge.
“You know, maybe I'm a little bit of a weirdo. I love my sport, right? I love diving. I mean, I'm not going to lie. I kind of own a monopoly on diving in the greater Orlando area. But that's really not what is beneficial for the overall sport of diving because there's no driving competition.”
As Terry explains, the lack of competition in the area can be traced back to the expenses for rent in the area.
“Now, from a business standpoint, it's a great thing because I don't have to really worry about my kids going anywhere else, right? In our sense, the grass is not greener on the other side because there is no other side.”
Scarcity of diving clubs is not a trait unique to Orlando — the sport of diving is simply on the decline.
“There are a lot of disheartening things going on right now in the diving community all the way from NCAA to USA diving.”
Terry is one of the many people concerned with USA diving’s rigid focus on their elite athletes and their neglect of the grassroots level.
“Right now, their structure is an upside down pyramid, which never stands for long. And the question that I asked USA Diving all the time, and they can't answer it is, ‘how many athletes did it take to find a Simone Biles?’”
Although the future of diving is uncertain, Orlando Dive Academy is keeping the sport alive in Central Florida.
