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Greg Louganis on AIDS Walk Austin and more

By Michael Barnes | Wednesday, October 12, 2011, 09:16 PM

Greg Louganis instantly bcame one of the most prominent faces of HIV/AIDS in 1995, when the Olympic diver revealed that he had been diagnosed with HIV in 1988.

On Oct. 16, Louganis will lead the AIDS Walk Austin , a 5K benefit for AIDS Services of Austin that begins and ends at the Austin City Hall Plaza. The activist, actor, dog trainer and author will speak at 1:30 p.m. during the opening ceremonies as well. We spoke to him earlier by phone.

Out & About: Where do we stand regarding AIDS crisis?

Greg Louganis: I guess I’ve lived it, huh? To a degree. I think AIDS education seems a bit lax these days. A lot of youth think there’s a medication that magically keeps you alive. Listen, I wouldn’t wish my drug regimen on anyone. There are still consquences. I try to share this with young people everywhere. It’s challenging.

I understand you are coaching divers again.

I’m no longer coaching teams. But I’m giving performance retreats. Basically, they help any type performance. You see, I started dancing and doing acrobatics when I was very young. I’ve been on the stage since I was three, always performing theater. So I give an introduction to dance yoga relaxation as an approach to competition and performance. It’s about addressing fears — life skills stuff. We talk about bullying, sexuality, HIV. We talk about drugs and alochol. It’s about making good choices. Everything you do is a choice.

Are you still training dogs?

I tried to make the dog-training thing work financially, but that didn’t work out. It was a great avenue to learn about learning, as well as about teaching. It was off the beaten track, but it all relates. (He still has four dogs.)

Austin is a swimming and diving center. Have you visited often?

Oh yes, I’ve competed there. The 1980 Olympic trials were there. Nationals were there. And I was just there over summer. I’m working with U.S. diving team as an athlete mentor, helping the Olympic hopefuls. At the same time, I work with kids in a camp. It makes the best use of my time when I work with both club kids and elite atheletes.

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