Episode 43: Caroline Lecoeur
Rachel Kobus 0:09
It wasn't too long ago that Caroline Lecouer made waves in Horton Field House as a Diver on the Illinois State swimming and diving team. Shortly after graduating in 2021 with a bachelor's in psychology, the French native, earned a master's in sports management from the Toulouse School of Management, and has worked as an international development assistant for the French Tennis Federation and as a hostess for the women's Tour de France. It was during this time she found a connection that led her to a position as the deputy manager of diving for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Carol's time of the Games gives our listeners an inside peek of what it is like to manage a world scaled event viewed by billions of people across the world.
We are very excited to get to speak today to Redbird Caroline Caro Lecouer, who just came off of a whirlwind of an experience as the deputy manager for diving for the Paris 2024 Olympics. So Caro, what's the word Redbird? Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Caroline Lecouer 1:10
Well, thank you for having me first. So as you said, my name is Caroline Lecouer, but everyone calls me Caro. I graduated ISU in 2021 I was a diver on the swim and dive team for four years, but I was born and raised in France, so that's the big fun fact about me. And then I came to the States after high school to be able to continue my education and my athletic career in the States, and after ISU, came back to France, did a master's degree in sports management, and now I'm working big sports events, so that's me, and
Rachel Kobus 1:43
I love it so much. And obviously you say your name so much better than I do too. So I do not know any French. I know nothing. I love the culture and I love the country, but nope, all good. You sound so much better. So I will go by Caro as well for you too. So let's start off with, you know, we'll dive in, huh, literally, oh, I'm gonna be really punny for this. So we will get to, you know, your time at the Olympics, and then, you know, moving forward, what's next for you? But I want to back up and talk about, how do you find your passion for diving. And then next, how did you select Illinois State as the school you wanted to dive for? Yeah,
Caroline Lecouer 2:28
big question, right there. Well, I started diving when I was seven. There was a bring your friend to your sports day. So a friend of mine took me to the pool. And fun fact, I've never seen I I've never noticed there were diving boards at that pool before, but I did that day, and I tried it, and I loved it. So I just kept going. And after a few, a few months, the coach was like, oh, like, Would you like to do a little more than once a week practice? And I just kept going, and I loved it, um, and so that's how I started diving. And I do for 17, 15, years something like that, um, but ISU, well, um, I've always known I wanted to go to the States after high school, because in in France and in Europe in general, it's so hard to do both school and athletics because it's just not made like that. Um, so after graduating, I made a lot of video, I reached out to a lot of coaches, and I was not going to go to ISU. I was in very good shape with North Carolina State, and then last minute, the scholarship was up. It was kind of like bad situation, but honestly, the coach was so nice, and he sent my information to Phil Hoffman, the coach at ISU before, um, and so he reached out to me, and then we got into, like, very great conversation. And then, I don't know, three months later, I was on the plane and here at Bloomington.
Rachel Kobus 3:52
So it was all meant to be. So you
Caroline Lecouer 3:56
honestly, I think it was when I, when I think about it, I would have not done it differently.
Okay, yeah, because so ISU wasn't one to reach out, but because a coach with a coach knew something, you know, knew that, yeah, yeah, that's a great story. And I, like, you never know, like, where your journey is going to go, and how interconnected it's great to, like, connected. The collegiate sports world is too exactly all the coaches know each other. Like, it's just, especially diving is like a small sports, it's not football, so it's like easier. And a lot of European divers now come to the state, so I also know a lot of divers competing on the NCAA level. So it's, it's great, yeah,
Rachel Kobus 4:32
great. And like you said, it worked out well for you. Obviously it did, yes, because I want to talk definitely about some of your more impressive moments at Illinois State as a student athlete. You know, you were named Diver of the year for the Missouri Valley Conference in 2021, so that would have been your senior year, I believe. Yes. Okay, so, can you talk through, you know, getting to that point, what was training as a student athlete? Like, like, what did it entail? And so, and what were. Were your big moments being a part of the swim and dive team as a Redbird. Um,
Caroline Lecouer 5:04
so At ISU, we train twice a day, every day. Um, we usually had like, a morning practice and then an afternoon practice. We also did some weight lifting, some cardio training. So we had a training workload of 20 hours a week, so it was a lot to combine with school, but everything was just meant for it to be easy. I think, I mean, it was just like our schedule was built kind of around our training schedule, so that was nice, and I could always find the classes I wanted when I wanted them. So that was easy for me. And I don't know, I just loved being part of a team, because it's an individual sport, when you think about it. And that's also something I was looking for when I came to the States, because I was like, I'm doing an individual sport. But when I was younger, I played football, I played, I mean, soccer, you guys, soccer. And I, I've always been very into, like, Team Spirit stuff, so it was good to have that. And I think with the girls, we really had a good mentality, and, like, we were all, like, very close together. I mean, I still talk to most of the divers that were on the team. Fun fact, one of them is actually at my home right now. She's from Wisconsin, Andy, we were same class, and we've stayed in touch throughout all the years. It's a third time in France. So I think it tells a lot about how, like, the culture that we had it was just like, we're very old, like, very close, very friendly, and so it's just, you know, I feel like I'm a Redbird for life.
Rachel Kobus 6:34
oh, and I love that's even one of the bigger moments of being Diver of the year, yeah, Diver of the year. No big deal, like, talk a little about that, like having those kind of moments too. So again, it was, you
Caroline Lecouer 6:46
know, it was great, very, very rewarding. I'm not very, I'm a very humble person. I hate this kind of stuff. Oh, but no, it was a very, very rewarding experience. And I always say that it's the team helped a lot. Because, you know, being in a good, good state, like being in a good environment, helped a lot. And, like, the team helped me, and the coach helped me, and I feel like being a name Diver of the year helped the school as well. So I feel like I was kind of, like, giving back. So it's just very happy for me, for the school, for the team, and just a very proud moment. Yeah, well
Rachel Kobus 7:21
You should be very proud. Do not be humbled by that. So, you know, I want to go on too, because it's easy to say that diving, it's been a large part of your persona, as in the world of sports management, too. So you earned your masters in the field of sports management. You interned for the French Tennis Federation. You worked as a hostess for the women's Tour de France, and then the world's largest sporting event came about, yeah, and you stepped in to be the deputy manager for diving at the Paris Olympics. So tell us, how does a role from the Olympic Yeah, it's like, how they gave you an application was like, sure you go write out your information. We'll get back to you.
Caroline Lecouer 8:08
so on the in France, the diving world is also pretty small. So a good friend of mine was he applied for the job, and he was very close to getting it, but last minute, he had an opportunity to change career, and that's something he always wanted to do. So he decided to follow that path. And he gave my name to the aquatic sports manager, and so she came one day to the whole long ago, so the French Open for tennis where I was working. And so I was like, Well, this is kind of our shot. So we met up for like, I don't know, half an hour, and we just clicked. It was super easy. Um, she was here with her daughter, and, like, I bought her ice cream. It was just, like, a good time. And then she was like, Well, if you want to apply, you should apply like, you sound fun. And I was like, Okay, well, you know, I'm like, I'm young, but I'll apply like I you know, I've got nothing to lose. It's my sport. We'll see. Because there was also another position, like a more junior position of just like technical operations, like project manager. And I was like, Well, I applied to whatever, like That sounds amazing to just work for the Olympics. And, you know, I did the few interviews with the managers, like the cluster manager, and he was going pretty well. And she was like, well, going to take a chance on you. And I was like, well, thank you. So you're right here. Here I was in September starting that big girl job. And you know, it was the greatest experience ever. So, yeah, yeah, I
Rachel Kobus 9:33
love it well. And that's the part I think people you know, probably don't think about, is you started the job in September 2023 and the Olympics was until end of July, early August, 2024 so how does one go into planning and managing a large event like diving for the Olympics? So what were your responsibilities that happened? And can you talk about it was your diving experience at ISU helped too. Yeah.
Caroline Lecouer 9:58
So I was in close contract with World Aquatics, which is the International Federation that's in charge of all the rules and regulations for the sports so we had to make sure we were applying everything in their roles, for the athletes, for the officials, and just for like the pool in general, how it needed to be set up. So a big part of the job was like setting up the pool, making sure we had everything for the athletes and officials. It was also making the calendars for the trainings, creating the group trainings to make sure people could practice on the right time. And we had a big part that was more like Central with all the sports. And it was producing a bunch of documents to, you know, the Team Leaders Guide, for example, that we were providing to all the teams the International Federation, guides that we were providing to the officials. It was just like a lot of preparation until D Day. That was July 20, the first day of practice.
Rachel Kobus 10:53
All right. Wow. And so, how do you think being a diver your whole life and then coming off of competitive diving with college, did that help you get through this role, or any of the responsibilities, or any of those challenging moments, I guess, yeah,
Caroline Lecouer 11:11
I mean, it really gave me the athlete perspective that was, like, very helpful, because you need to, like, understand the needs of the athletes, And because we were working, for example, in the flows, and like, in the first few days, I was like, Well, I know that your diver is going to show up, is going to go straight there, and not to the locker room or something. So that was, like, just little things and bits that were very specific to diving, that helped to create, like, all the flows, the needs, the services that we were going to provide. And I think that's what really helped me, because obviously I was a little younger, like less experienced than probably the other, like sports managers. But I think knowing my sports like a lot, and like having experienced competing a lot, it really helped for that. Yeah,
Rachel Kobus 11:56
well, I say, see so Age has nothing to do with it. Your experience, you are good at what you do, and there is a reason that you are there, and you got to experience, I'm sure you know something that probably wasn't, I'm assuming. I mean, I don't know it was the Olympics on your career path to start with, or what to be a part of it in any capacity, or, yeah.
Caroline Lecouer 12:16
I mean, as soon as I knew it was going to be in France, obviously, I feel like everyone in sporting events, like, had their eyes on it. But after graduating my master's, I was kind of planning on traveling a little bit and then not necessarily working right away. I was going to apply for a few jobs, but like, if it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't meant to be. And then this, you know, this whole story, this whole job, came about, and I was like, Well, it's, it is meant to be, I know. So I just, I just did it. And yeah, no regrets. It was the best experience of my life so far. I bet so.
Rachel Kobus 12:46
And I guess, you know, you getting to be there in a different capacity. You know, we see tons of videos and news and everything about the Olympics, but you are in it, as you know, being a manager inside your sport more so than you know, seeing the outside, even for like an athlete's social medias, but So for you, what was the atmosphere in Paris like, as the games got closer and then during your event itself? Um,
Caroline Lecouer 13:10
so we were really feeling that everything was building up, everything, uh, especially with the flame relay that was going all around the around the the country, so we could, like, feel the build up. And as soon as, like, the first athlete step of foot on site, I was like, oh, it's it's there. Like, it really felt like, okay, we're doing it. And then first, first session was the first, like, medal session at the Aquatic Center as well. So just playing a national anthem, like, having a packed house, like, it really helped, like, understand what we were doing. So I think that's when I really realized, and we were also very lucky that the Aquatic Center is right next to the Stade de France, where Track and Field was as well as rugby, and we could hear it like, from the pool. So I think it really made us realize what was going on.
Rachel Kobus 14:00
Yeah, that it wasn't like there was more than one sport. I mean, because, like, where else in time? You know, in our world that there are multiple sports, just literally back, literally back to back, because there's a stadium over there. Let's go two blocks. Okay, let's go 10 miles. Like it's just amazing sports and amazing athletes and athleticism happening everywhere it gets. Just mind blowing to me to can't imagine what you felt, I guess what I'm saying. It was
Caroline Lecouer 14:23
amazing. I was a little concerned at first, because I was like, Well, I'm going to be like, very head in the game, like, it's going to be hard to live the game, because I'm, like, a big sports fan. So I usually, during the Olympics, I'm just on, like, watching TV for two weeks straight. Oh, so the first the first few days, it was hard to follow what was going on in the other sports so I was a little frustrated about that, but and as things were running very smoothly, my team was doing a great job. The volunteers were amazing. So I was just like, well, it's going pretty well. So I started to follow a little more what was happening, and I was able to go see track and field. I was able to go see a basketball game. Game. I toured the city and just saw the rings on the Eifel tower. So I really felt the energy. It was amazing. Yeah, I
Rachel Kobus 15:07
can only imagine, because I was going to ask too, just, you know, once the game started, you know, seeing the photos and videos just on your Instagram. Because, yes, I went and looked, and you collaborated with ISU athletics, so I saw respect to you, but you know, the diving center itself was just gorgeous. And, yeah, the pool was
Caroline Lecouer 15:26
amazing. The and branding team did like a wonderful job. I think it was one of the greatest venue. Yeah,
Rachel Kobus 15:31
so, and then that, that was they, was that there already was that built for the Olympics, or how did the center come to be then?
Caroline Lecouer 15:33
The pool was built. It's the only site that was built for the Olympics, but there's a big like heritage, and then after Olympics, like story, it will become like open for schools and like a big center for the national team as well. But it was very built for for the Olympics, so timing was fresh, like we were like, on construction until the end, I mean, until the first year of practice. So it was a lot, but it worked out pretty well. And the pool, like, looked amazing. I mean, the branding was so pretty, and everyone loved it. All the athletes were super happy, and it was just wonderful. Yeah,
Rachel Kobus 16:13
no, and I was gonna say because, again, from the viewer side, everything looked amazing. And, you know, diving scenes. So I talked a little bit about this maybe diving seemed to run smoothly, but was there any challenges that you did face that you had to tackle during that diving portion of the Olympics? Honestly,
Caroline Lecouer 16:29
luckily, no, like, it was, it was very smooth, like we, I guess we did a great job ahead of time, but no, it was working pretty well. It was just, like, maybe last minute things, whatever, and that he was late to the call room. Or, like, just, like, regular stuff that was going to happen. But, like, no major building issue, no nothing like, ever. Like, we had a diver that got injured during a dive, an American diver, but then she finished the competition. Like, everything was pretty smooth. Like, I knock on wood, because every day I was knocking on was like, There's no way this is going so well. But it did go, it did go pretty well. I mean, everyone on the venue, the venue level, like, did a wonderful job, all the teams. So I think that's why it worked. Well,
Rachel Kobus 17:13
yeah. So can you talk a little bit more than since everything went so smoothly, what was one, you know, once, because diving, sorry, this is why I couldn't remember. It was it over the course of a week that the diving --over thwo weeks. Okay, that's why I couldn't but, and it was how many days? So you work for the whole Olympics? Basically? Yeah, I worked
Caroline Lecouer 17:31
from the July 20, the first day we had athletes on site, until August 10. Not really days off, because that's, that's how it was. But so the first week, so from the 10th to the 26th it was just training, then the first official week of competition was synchronized diving. So we had all the synchronized event, then two days of break, and then all the individual events. Okay, so it was running for the whole time, and it was long, but it worked. So we, we made it. Yeah,
Rachel Kobus 18:01
so that's gonna ask you, like, pick one day and walk me through a typical day for a deputy manager. So you wake up, you just go, I
Caroline Lecouer 18:11
would, I would wake up around 530 every day, because I would need to be at the pool around 615 because the first athlete were on site at seven, because every day we had open training from like seven to like nine or something. But so I would show up, we would just have a quick team meeting make sure everyone, like knew what they were supposed to do, if there was any red flags or stuff that we need to be very careful about during that day. And then at seven, I would go to the venue briefing. So, like, with all the other so what we call FA, so functional areas. So that's where the site manager was like, explaining everything we're doing it, like on the venue level, um, every day, and then after that trainings we're starting. So I had a team doing I had a member on my team, like, dealing with the athlete services, someone else dealing with a volunteer, someone on the pool deck. So everyone kind of knew what they were doing by then. So it was, it was really nice. I was just like supervising the whole thing, and I was doing case something was wrong, basically. And luckily, nothing was really wrong. But, yeah, open training. And then half an hour before a session, we were started cleaning the field of play. So we were making sure that people who are not supposed to be there during a competition will leave the pool deck, make sure all the judges referees knew what they were doing, that everyone was ready on time. And one of the main part that I was following during a session was the what we call the DCA, so it's the detailed calendar of activities. I never know the name of everything, but it was like, It's the it's the minute by minute schedule that we make, like time per dive, time between rounds, everything, and that's because TV is a big thing during the Olympics. So it was one of the main thing that I had to make sure that we were on time for TV. And then after a session, we would clean the pool really quickly. And then training was starting again. We do a quick debrief, and then other session in the afternoon. So after a few days, what was nice is that every days were kind of the same. So we started doing like, big briefing and big debriefings. And then as the days were coming and going. It was, like, shorter and shorter, and by dinner, like, well, everyone knows what they're supposed to do. I think it was going well. So yeah, and we would finish the days, not too late, luckily, around like, eight or something. Oh, so then I would grab food and go to bed.
Rachel Kobus 20:38
No big deal. Some days I'm in bed by eight, and I did not run an Olympic event, so, yeah, gosh, and I mean, and again, stuff you're, you know, you're saying to us, I people, I think, take for granted of how you have to worry about your event and manage that, but then worry about all the other components outside of it, the Media, the spectators, all that, and being on everybody else's schedule, including the actual schedule, that really matters, the athletes themselves, too. So to that all is just amazing. So, and I saw many people were on your team then, like, how many people? So
Caroline Lecouer 21:14
I had five people with me. I mean, we were five including me. So I had one person on that were the technical operation manager, so more on, like running an event, like being with the International Federation, judges, things like that. Then I had someone that was in charge of the volunteers and all the administrative part of the job. Then I had someone that was the field of play coordinator, so she was on the pool deck and kind of like orchestrating everything, making sure people knew where they were. And then I had someone in charge of the athlete services, um, and so all those four people me, and then we had 90 volunteers total, yeah, so a lot of people, but yeah, everyone was great. We were lucky that all the volunteers were very motivated. Um, they all, like, showed up. We, I think we had a very high show up, like, rate. No one really, like, left during a session or didn't come back the next day. So you never know. You never know.
Rachel Kobus 22:14
Volunteer for the
Caroline Lecouer 22:15
Olympics. You know, you always worry about that. Because, like, well, we have, like, 25 people on this shift. And like, if we're 20, I don't know what I'm doing with this five extra spot, because they were, you know, either they're athlete services, or they're controlling an access or they are, like, providing whatever needs to be provided. And so, like, if you remove them, it's hard, but yeah, we were super lucky, and they were all so great, and most of them were staying the whole time. So same thing as a team like they knew what to do after a few days, and they were very like, great, obviously, we I was very lucky. Hey.
Rachel Kobus 22:48
No, I love to hear it. I mean, I would like to know like challenges. But again, your team so well prepared and ready to go that that's the point of, you know, learning about understanding diving itself, understanding sports management, having someone like you on that team, you know you say you're maybe one of the younger ones, but having that experience and that education, I think, was an important tool to making sure that you didn't have to worry about any challenges. So kudos to you and your team. So that's yeah, thank
Caroline Lecouer 23:16
you. Appreciate it
Rachel Kobus 23:17
so. And then I want to ask too, you talked a little bit about this, but you did get time to enjoy the games, but and see everything. So what anything like, super exciting. Did you get to meet anyone that you would say is, like, the celebrity of the diving world. You know, I saw, um, I mean, sweater, yeah.
Caroline Lecouer 23:37
I mean, Tom Daley was here. I was just passing by say hi every day. It was just, but, like, I can't really ask for a picture all the time. Stay professional. But we had one thing that was very cool, that was organized better, like, throughout all sports, the from the sports presentation team, it trois coupe, so the So, the three coup. It was a reference to French theater where, like, before starting a scene or a show, they would, like, kick a baton like three times. And so for every session, we had, like a diving legend or diving celebrity, or just like a diving reference coming for for the beginning of the session, to open the session. And I think that part was really cool, because we had, like, for example, the sports manager from World Aquatics do it, because she was an Olympian. We had Greg Louganis, big legend for diving as well, coming a bunch of judges. We had a volunteer do it. So it was just like a I think it was a very cool experience. So just the opening of each session felt really cool because it was building the tension and the atmosphere for it. So I think that was pretty cool. Oh
Rachel Kobus 24:42
yes, I totally forgot, yes, I did hear about and I thought that was amazing. And everyone's like, hopefully that sticks for a while, you know, for the whole early thing. Yeah, it was fun. Yeah, yeah, we're bringing that up, yes. What a great experience to have. Yeah. So how did you after it was all done? How. Do you, you know, unwind or kind of debrief yourself for something like that and enjoy that celebration moment of I did this. I was a part of the Olympics. I made this happen. I made it happen too,
Caroline Lecouer 25:12
if I'm if I'm being truly honest, I don't think it has kicked in yet, because I so I was done on the 10th the events, and then my contract was done on the 14th, so pretty quickly after and we had, like, a wrap up party, wrap up, like lunch with the team, everything we was emotional. It was great, but I still, since I'm still involved in the Paralympics, I feel like I'm not, I don't feel done yet, but I think it's gonna the Olympics blues is going to kick in at some point, because I know it was, like, such a big event, so coming down from that is going to be a lot. So I've been on vacation ever since, so it's great. I've been sleeping a lot, tanning. Deserve that, yeah? Um, so I think after the Paralympics is when it's really going to, like, kick in, I'm going to be like, Okay, I did that. But I think for now. Like, whoa, yeah, we did that. It was, like, amazing, pretty cool. But it's not like, I It doesn't feel real. Yeah, right.
Rachel Kobus 26:07
So and talk so talk about that, because we talked about this before we started the interview, is you will get to work at, I didn't know this for certain, so you do get to work at the Paralympics. So what will entail?
Caroline Lecouer 26:18
So I'm helping out for para swimming. I'm going to be a basket carrier, like one of the team leaders for that. So on the pool deck, I'm I'm a volunteer for the Paralympics, so it's kind of cool to be on the other side. But yeah, I'm going to be on the Phillips place, on the pool deck, making sure all the athletes have their belongings, like in their basket, and like to bring it back after the session. And I'm working for eight or nine days, so I just, I'm just helping out the team, because my boss is the sports manager for all aquatic sports, so artistic swimming, diving, water polo, swimming and open water swimming. So she is the best. And so I wanted to help out also on the other sports if I could. And they asked if I could, and I was like, Well, that sounds great. And I feel like it's I'm kind of giving back as well, but, yeah, I'm just very excited to be on the other side, because I want to understand, like, I've never really volunteered when I was young, like I did for ISU events or stuff like that, but on big events. So I feel like trying to see, like, the other side is going to be cool, and some volunteers that were diving, volunteers will be there for para swimming, and so it's kind of cool to see them again. So I'm just very excited.
Rachel Kobus 27:31
Oh yeah. And I think that's great. And what a good experience, because we'll talk about, you know, what's kind of next for you. But going into a sports management world, the event feel to understand what a volunteer goes through is just as important as your manager itself, too. So get knowing that for yourself. I mean, I think that's something you know other a lot of people don't realize. So for you to have that self realization, it is great to hear too. So, so what is next for you then, Caro?
Caroline Lecouer 27:57
that's a really great question. Million dollar question. Um, I'm gonna, so I've been on vacation for a couple weeks now, so I'm helping for the Paralympics. But after I'm I want to take it day by day, because I think I'm gonna have that big realization. But I I'm very open to kind of anything, because, you know, I'm still young, I can still travel a lot. So I've been looking at the Winter Olympics, for example, in Milano, Italy, I've been looking at the World Cup in the US like, oh, I wouldn't be against coming back for a few years. So I'm just Yeah, so I'm just, uh, I'm looking kind of every day, but also taking it day by day. And if a big opportunity comes up, like, I'll be very open to it. And if I have to wait a few months, I'll wait a few months. I'm okay with that.
Rachel Kobus 28:43
Yeah, well, that's great to hear, and I can't wait. You know, that makes me excited, because maybe we get to talk again. Because if you see these dreams of these large events, it's great to have my perspective too, like we only see so much of it. So to hear how you make something, you know, one piece of a large event and how important that one piece is, especially to the diving world or to what next you do for sports management, is is important to understand, too. So yeah, I just want to say thank you so much for being Thank you hearing your experience.
Caroline Lecouer 29:12
Thank you. Yes, everything you're reaching out. Yes, yes. So
Rachel Kobus 29:16
we hope to hear a lot more from you soon. Yeah,
that was 2021 graduate and Redbird diver. Caro Lecouer thanks for listening and tune in next time to Redbird buzz for more stories from beyond the quad.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai