Girls Varsity Dive has started off the year with a splash!
The season recently started, and the team is eager to continue to show off the skills that they have been learning, attempting, and mastering. However, it takes time and dedication to develop these skills to the point of them being “meet ready.”
This is why the team has been practicing and preparing while maintaining hopes of excelling in their meets.
This hard work has evidently paid off as they made an impressive start to the season. Their first two meets went exceptionally well as they were awarded first place both times.
However, this season looks a little different for the team as they have welcomed many new members. This year the team has seen an increase of involvement from students within the high school, as their team is larger than in the years past.
Most of these new members are girls who have never done diving competitively.
“This year we have a lot of new divers so I’m looking forward to competing with a larger team and getting to practice alongside them,” junior Varsity Captain Taylor Gaston said.
Although much of the team is made up of divers who are relatively new to the sport, the majority of the team has gained confidence in their abilities from other aspects of their athletic careers.
“Most of our team is made up of people who have been doing gymnastics for a long time… Most of us started [dive] in highschool but we caught onto the sport really quick because we know how to flip,” senior Varsity Captain Ava Starks said.
Competing in diving during the fall, and gymnastics in the winter gives much of the team a competitive edge against their competition. This is due to the fact that they are all very comfortable with flipping and are constantly willing to attempt new tricks.
Because much of the team is teammates for more than one sport, many have created a special bond with one another. This comfortability between the teammates allows the team to accomplish one of their biggest goals; to make an encouraging atmosphere.
“When any of the divers get on the board we have the intent of never getting discouraged when we don’t quite land the trick. Our teammates are always there to cheer us back onto the board then congratulate you, and acknowledge the progress you’ve made. They make every dive a special one,” junior Jasmine Scott said.
