Kyle Van Valkenburg Returns to Air Force, named Head M&W Diving Coach
6/22/2023 1:00:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving
Kyle Van Valkenburg has been tabbed as the new leader of the men's and women's diving programs at Air Force, as announced by Director of Athletics Nathan Pine. Van Valkenburg replaces his former coach, Stan Curnow, who recently retired after 31 seasons at the Academy.
"We are pleased to welcome back Kyle Van Valkenburg as our new diving coach," Pine said. "As a former cadet-athlete, team captain and Mountain West champion, Coach Van Valkenburg has an incredible understanding of the Air Force Academy and conferences. His leadership as an officer, and experience as a competitor and coach is ideal for our mission of developing leaders of character for the Air Force and Space Force."
Van Valkenburg, a 2010 Air Force Academy graduate and two-time Mountain West champion, competed for Curnow as a four-year letterwinner from 2006-10.
"It is a great honor to return to my alma mater as the new head diving coach for the men's and women's diving programs," said Van Valkenburg. "The Air Force Academy diving programs have had a long history of champions and I'm eager to build upon those achievements. I want to thank Stan Curnow for his many years of service and dedication to mentoring champions and leaders. I also would like to thank Nathan Pine, Jen Block, George Nelson, and the rest of the athletic department for giving me an opportunity to work among the best athletes and faculty in the world."
Van Valkenburg returns to the Academy after having most recently worked as a diving judge for the Mountain West and Western Athletic Conferences from 2022-23. Prior to his employment as a judge, Van Valkenburg assisted the development of numerous amateur divers at the Colorado Springers Diving Club from 2019-22.
With the Colorado Springers, Van Valkenburg planned and executed year-round, multilevel competitive diving program focusing on the physical development and placement of prospective Division I athletes. He also designed and implemented strategies for progression of high-level athletes to competitive undergraduate levels utilizing dry land, ropes systems, and aquatic training methods.
Van Valkenburg coached and mentored six eventual athletes currently active in Division I diving programs across multiple NCAA conferences, including the Mountain West Conference and Western Athletic Conference. The former Falcon standout provided guidance to four-consecutive women's Colorado state 4A champions and 4A divers of the year (2019-2022), as well as 5A (2021) and 3A champions (2021). Van Valkenburg guided the Springers program to women's (2020, 2021) and men's (2021) AAU National Titles.
In that time span, Van Valkenburg put his aquatic talents to use as a summer camp coach at USAFA from 2018-22 while also working as a strength and conditioning coach for the Colorado Athletic Club for three years.
Immediately following his graduation from the Academy in 2010, Van Valkenburg inaugurated the River Rat Diving Club and School in San Angelo, Texas, where he coached the first diving club in the city. There, he designed and implemented programs for novice divers focusing on fundamentals and technique. His pupils from Central High School became the first-ever divers to reach the regional championship meet from the school.
Since 2017, Van Valkenburg has been tasked as a Service Academy Congressional Nomination Board member, interviewing, assessing, and vetting potential candidates and providing detailed recommendations for top 10 percent of cadet candidates for final Congressional nomination to service academies of all military branches.
Prior to his departure from active duty in 2015, Van Valkenburg served the Air Force as an intelligence officer. Van Valkenburg commanded flight of more than 80 airmen, executing live intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions across five different weapon systems, having directed over 600 missions with simultaneous operations across the globe. He served as the officer in charge of the 480th ISR group standardization and evaluation department responsible for quality assurance, personnel management, employee training, special programs and compliance for over 200 Air Force intelligence operators.
Van Valkenburg stands as the first airman to identify a downed friendly aircraft in a combat zone, resulting in the saving of two American lives.
Lettering all four years at Air Force, Van Valkenburg was a two-time Mountain West champion in the platform dive (2008-09), as his 347.20 scored in 2009 remains the program's all-time platform diving record. Van Valkenburg earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 2010 as a distinguished graduate while also being named to numerous academic lists during his time as a cadet.
"As a former cadet-athlete, I feel like I've returned home and I am humbled to now be in the position to inspire and mentor our future leaders," said Van Valkenburg. "I commit to bring every ounce of my energy, passion, and dedication to developing NCAA champions and leaders of character who are ready to face the challenges of both military and civilian life."
Van Valkenburg holds certifications from USA Diving, the Professional Diving Coaches Association, the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and Safesport.
"We are pleased to welcome back Kyle Van Valkenburg as our new diving coach," Pine said. "As a former cadet-athlete, team captain and Mountain West champion, Coach Van Valkenburg has an incredible understanding of the Air Force Academy and conferences. His leadership as an officer, and experience as a competitor and coach is ideal for our mission of developing leaders of character for the Air Force and Space Force."
Van Valkenburg, a 2010 Air Force Academy graduate and two-time Mountain West champion, competed for Curnow as a four-year letterwinner from 2006-10.
"It is a great honor to return to my alma mater as the new head diving coach for the men's and women's diving programs," said Van Valkenburg. "The Air Force Academy diving programs have had a long history of champions and I'm eager to build upon those achievements. I want to thank Stan Curnow for his many years of service and dedication to mentoring champions and leaders. I also would like to thank Nathan Pine, Jen Block, George Nelson, and the rest of the athletic department for giving me an opportunity to work among the best athletes and faculty in the world."
Van Valkenburg returns to the Academy after having most recently worked as a diving judge for the Mountain West and Western Athletic Conferences from 2022-23. Prior to his employment as a judge, Van Valkenburg assisted the development of numerous amateur divers at the Colorado Springers Diving Club from 2019-22.
With the Colorado Springers, Van Valkenburg planned and executed year-round, multilevel competitive diving program focusing on the physical development and placement of prospective Division I athletes. He also designed and implemented strategies for progression of high-level athletes to competitive undergraduate levels utilizing dry land, ropes systems, and aquatic training methods.
Van Valkenburg coached and mentored six eventual athletes currently active in Division I diving programs across multiple NCAA conferences, including the Mountain West Conference and Western Athletic Conference. The former Falcon standout provided guidance to four-consecutive women's Colorado state 4A champions and 4A divers of the year (2019-2022), as well as 5A (2021) and 3A champions (2021). Van Valkenburg guided the Springers program to women's (2020, 2021) and men's (2021) AAU National Titles.
In that time span, Van Valkenburg put his aquatic talents to use as a summer camp coach at USAFA from 2018-22 while also working as a strength and conditioning coach for the Colorado Athletic Club for three years.
Immediately following his graduation from the Academy in 2010, Van Valkenburg inaugurated the River Rat Diving Club and School in San Angelo, Texas, where he coached the first diving club in the city. There, he designed and implemented programs for novice divers focusing on fundamentals and technique. His pupils from Central High School became the first-ever divers to reach the regional championship meet from the school.
Since 2017, Van Valkenburg has been tasked as a Service Academy Congressional Nomination Board member, interviewing, assessing, and vetting potential candidates and providing detailed recommendations for top 10 percent of cadet candidates for final Congressional nomination to service academies of all military branches.
Prior to his departure from active duty in 2015, Van Valkenburg served the Air Force as an intelligence officer. Van Valkenburg commanded flight of more than 80 airmen, executing live intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions across five different weapon systems, having directed over 600 missions with simultaneous operations across the globe. He served as the officer in charge of the 480th ISR group standardization and evaluation department responsible for quality assurance, personnel management, employee training, special programs and compliance for over 200 Air Force intelligence operators.
Van Valkenburg stands as the first airman to identify a downed friendly aircraft in a combat zone, resulting in the saving of two American lives.
Lettering all four years at Air Force, Van Valkenburg was a two-time Mountain West champion in the platform dive (2008-09), as his 347.20 scored in 2009 remains the program's all-time platform diving record. Van Valkenburg earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 2010 as a distinguished graduate while also being named to numerous academic lists during his time as a cadet.
"As a former cadet-athlete, I feel like I've returned home and I am humbled to now be in the position to inspire and mentor our future leaders," said Van Valkenburg. "I commit to bring every ounce of my energy, passion, and dedication to developing NCAA champions and leaders of character who are ready to face the challenges of both military and civilian life."
Van Valkenburg holds certifications from USA Diving, the Professional Diving Coaches Association, the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and Safesport.
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