From Athlete to Mentor: The Journey of Anton Down-Jenkins at UNC
The video above is an interview I did with Anton Down-Jenkins about his journey to becoming the UNC diving team’s assistant coach. Anton is from New Zealand and moved to the U.S. to continue pursuing both his academic and athletic career, he started his college career at the University of South Carolina where he quickly realized wasn’t the place for him. He made the decision to transfer to UNC where he made a large impact on the diving program.
After completing his undergrad Anton decided to earn his master’s degree at Carolina as well where he studied Sports Administration. After graduating Anton was offered a position on the coaching staff where he uses his experiences as an athlete, his education in sports administration, and his diving knowledge to help divers become the best versions of themselves.
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Growin Up Queer in Athletics
The video above is about my experience growing up queer in athletics. Being both an athlete and apart of the LGBTQ+ community it has not always been easy to put my self in athletic spaces. I really wanted to share my story because despite queer people being widely accepted into society it is still viewed negatively for athletes to be gay. (especially men) I feel it is really important to show the world that gay athletes can exist and thrive in their sport and I think to make that a reality we need to open up about our experiences.
In this video I discuss my very athletic upbringing and how I’ve always felt treated different by my peers and coaches. Only to later find out that I was gay where I realized why I have always felt overlooked by others or viewed as easy competition. I also discuss how many queer people face the same or even worse experiences and how a change needs to happen as we are all trying to do our best.
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