by Thomas Gompf
with Elaine K. Howely

Now Available From
CG Sports Publishing

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”The great sport of diving finally has its story told. And, Olympic bronze medalist, Tom Gompf, is the perfect storyteller. Tom began diving as a youngster and now, decades later, he’s still on the front line.

A Life Aloft is about Tom's passion, which expanded diving from city pools to international venues across the globe. His journey is remarkable and special in so many ways. You will enjoy every minute.”

—Micki King, two-time Olympian and 1972 Olympic gold medalist in 3-meter springboard diving.

A passion for flight

Back when he was first learning to fly an airplane, Tom Gompf found himself applying terms from his beloved sport of diving to the maneuvers he was mastering. The line began blurring between the two disciplines, and he realized being a pilot and being a diver had an awful lot in common. Both were forms of flying. 

Being airborne, aloft, free of the bonds of gravity—that, for Tom, has always been the stuff of life. As an Air Force officer serving in the Vietnam War and a commercial airline pilot for 30 years, Tom knows his way around an airplane. And, as a champion diver who earned the bronze medal in the 10-meter platform diving event at the 1964 Olympics, Tom has found numerous ways to soar physically. 

A devoted husband, father, friend, and mentor, Tom’s ongoing work in support of Olympic divers through endless hours of volunteer service and as the “father of synchronized diving” has certainly left an enduring legacy that’s increased opportunities for others to fly, too. 

In all things, Tom has sought to climb up to the next rung, offering a hand up to those around him as he’s crept skyward in his lifelong pursuit of high flight. In “A Life Aloft,” Tom reflects back on what he’s learned from pushing himself and the sport of diving to ever greater heights. 

About the Authors

Thomas E. Gompf

Born in Dayton, Ohio, on March 17, 1939, Tom Gompf became a champion trampolinist, gymnast, and diver who earned the bronze medal at the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo in the 10-meter platform event. His passion for diving propelled him to win numerous AAU and NCAA championships and the World Professional High Diving Championship in 1970 and 1971. From 1972 through 1981, he served as diving coach at the University of Miami where he coached more than two dozen All-American, National Champion, and Olympic divers including Melissa Briley and Greg Louganis. 

In addition to coaching, Gompf was also an ardent volunteer supporter of the Olympic movement and diving. In 1976 and 1984, Gompf served as the team manager for the U.S. Olympic Diving Team and from 1977 through 2000 was a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Executive Board of Directors. From 1984 through 2004, he was a member of the FINA Technical Diving Committee, serving as chairman from 1988 through 2000. He also served as president of USA Diving from 1985 through 1990 and president of U.S. Aquatic Sports from 1999 through 2002. 

For his lengthy service, Gompf has earned numerous awards. Most notably, in 2002, he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an honor contributor. In 2010, he was awarded the USOC Foundation’s George Steinbrenner Sports Leadership Award. 

Considered the father of synchronized diving, Gompf led the charge to have the tandem discipline admitted as an Olympic event and championed adding the 1-meter springboard event to international competitions. He’s currently leading a campaign to add high diving to the Olympic program. 

An Air Force pilot who served in the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1967, Gompf flew commercial airliners for more than 30 years and is the father of two children and grandfather of seven. He currently serves as a consultant to Duraflex, as president of the Raymond C. Rude Foundation, and lives in Lakeland, Florida, with his wife, Fran. 

Elaine K. Howley

Elaine K. Howley is an award-winning freelance journalist and editor based in Boston, Massachusetts. A southern New Jersey native, Howley holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in publishing and writing from Emerson College in Boston. 

Specializing in sports, health, and history topics, Howley previously served as publications manager for U.S. Masters Swimming and managing editor of SWIMMER magazine. Her freelance work has appeared in TIME, U.S. News & World Report, AARP.org, Atlas Obscura, espnW, and Outdoor Swimmer magazine based in the United Kingdom. She is a member in good standing of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and the Association of Health Care Journalists.

A lifelong swimmer, Howley is an avid marathon and ice swimmer who has completed the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming (solo swims across the English Channel and Catalina Channel and a solo circumnavigation of Manhattan Island) and was inducted into the Vermont Open Water Swimming Hall of Fame in 2018. She was the first person to swim the 32.3-mile length of Lake Pend Oreille in Northern Idaho. “A Life Aloft” is her first book-length memoir ghostwriting project.