GOING THE DISTANCE
Diving In
I took up diving my freshman year of high school because I was determined to add a fall sport to winter gymnastics and spring track to earn my “ Three Sport Athlete ” distinction at graduation . Diving was a natural new sport to pick up as I had been a competitive gymnast since I was 3 . It took four years of weight training at 6:00 a . m ., evenings on the boards , and weekends devoted to swim meets , but I earned that plaque . I didn ’ t think I would continue diving in college , but when I met the swim team and coach at Colorado College , I changed my mind and joined the team .
As a college athlete , I gained a co-ed network of teammates who supported each other in sports , academics and life . I also gained a coach who knew the best way to motivate each athlete based on our individual personalities . But college diving was a lot more challenging than high school diving . We went from the 1-meter board to the
by SARAH MOYER , MD , MPH
3-meter board , and that never stopped being scary . I learned many tricks to reduce the pain and bruising that came with smacking into water that feels like concrete if you hit it wrong – wearing a wetsuit , using machines to produce bubbles in the water to decrease the surface tension , etc . I learned how to calm my nerves , control my body and project confidence even when I didn ’ t feel it . I learned how to get back up on the board again and again , ignoring the bruises . I concentrated on tweaking tiny muscle movements until instead of smacking , I pierced the water with perfect form and shot down to the bottom of the pool like an arrow .
No matter how many dives I perfected , there was always a new dive to learn . But I knew in my heart that if I worked hard , I could do it . Diving taught me to motivate myself , to confront my fears again and again and to face the pressure of competition . Failing over and over until I got it right built resilience . As a diver , I learned that I could pull myself together after a bad dive , come back and win . All
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