Q&A with our one and only diver

Q:What was it like being the only diver on the team? 

A: “I practiced with other divers on high school teams so I wasn’t not alone, but I felt a sense of pride that I got to be the face of the Salem Dive Team. I also didn’t have to deal with loud people and buses because I drove myself to practice.”

Q: Was there a lot of pressure?

A: “I didn’t feel much pressure. If anything, it’s the most relaxing sport I’ve participated in so far. The most nerve racking part was when I was attempting a new dive for the first time. Taking that risk is scary; however, I just needed to get past my own mental block.”

Q: How did you work with your team?

A: “I was also on the swim team so I was very connected with the Salem swim community and I was able to work around conflicts very easily. In regards to the dive team, I’m a very talkative person, I would consider myself extroverted so I made friends with everyone that I practiced with almost immediately and I felt comfortable asking them for technique advice and I loved that I have the opportunity to become friends with people from other schools.”

Q: How did you become a diver?

A: “Fun story: During the swim interest meeting, Coach Marilyn encouraged people to join dive, even if they had no prior experience. So I thought, why not? I emailed the dive coach, Coach Katie, for information and attended the first practice. Once I got there, I was intimidated by everyone since most of them were returning members and already knew how to dive. Somehow, I was able to learn enough dives fast enough to make the cuts for the team and I was officially on the dive team! Now that I’ve almost completed a season, I have learned several dives and I even made it to regionals and came in seventh.”