The diving team is dominating this season-with three of the seven members qualifying for the zone meet, the team is on its way to victory.
The Zone Meet, described by head coach Jim Halliburton to be the biggest accomplishment of the season so far, is the extra step divers must participate in to prove their abilities before moving on to the NCAA competition. Diving is scored differently all over the world, so the Zone Meet is used to determine who ranks at the top.
Halliburton gives credit to a combination of extra off-season training and dry-land work for all the accomplishments of the team. A typical week of training for the diving team includes a 40-minute drive every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to the St. Peters facilities. Tuesdays and Thursdays are spent at the Simon Recreation Center diving. The divers lift weights three times a week and dry-land train every day before practice.
“The training schedule is rigorous but necessary,” freshman Chad Carmichael said.
Despite the intense physical training these divers endure, preparing for the challenges ahead, each team member has a unique way of preparing mentally and emotionally before a meet.
“It’s different for every diver,” said junior Anna Larson, “but for me, I have to have Fruit Loops at every single meet.”
Carmichael and freshman Billy Hrabovsky agree that mental preparation for them lies more in the music than in food.
“Right when I wake up and during stretching, I listen to hardcore music to get pumped. But right before the meet I listen to chill music,” Hrabovsky said.
With only seven individuals on the team, members are very close and very supportive of one another. Larson describes the team as “more of a family unit rather than just a sports team.”
Not only does the team bond over the intense workouts-ones they endure together five times a week-but team bonding also occurs outside the pool. Movie nights are regular, and the team even gets together for a “pasta night.”
“We are definitely close friends,” Larson said. “It’s not a situation where we’re close because we have to be.”
However, with any close family there will be disputes and disagreements. Any conflicts the team encounters are quickly resolved without negative feelings: “We push each other and take everything in stride,” Larson said.
Meets tend to bring out the best in this family, as everything they have worked so hard for is brought into perspective.
“We all just root each other on, and we all just try to push each other to be their best,” freshman Hannah Tautv said.
The closeness of this team may be an unaccredited source to its success this season. Meets are emotionally draining, and it’s at that point when support is most needed.
“Harsh competitive edge tends to psych me out rather than make me dive at my best potential,” Larson said. “I try to zone out anything that makes me feel like the pressure is on me.”
Despite any fears these divers may possess, Halliburton said the team is handling it with poise and determination. All the divers are very optimistic and have high expectations for the rest of the season.
“We have a solid young team and are psyched for the coming years,” Carmichael said.
