Flip, splash, twist, splat. The North Atlanta Dive team is back. To some people’s disappointment, the rumor about a pool on the eleventh floor is false. North Atlanta does not have a pool, so the dedicated team has to travel to the Westminster or Georgia Tech pool twice a week just for practice. However, the lack of a facility does not stop the divers from working extremely hard. The team has only competed in two meets this season but already has three divers qualified for state. Hopes are extremely high for this year’s team with aspirations of sending as many divers as possible to the state meet!
Practices take place on Wednesdays from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm and Saturdays from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. Practices begin with warm-ups and stretching outside the pool to warm the divers’ muscles. The rest of practice is spent practicing dives off the diving board over and over again. This repetition and consistency is vital for success in meets. The difficulty level of dives performed at practice and meets varies from person to person. For example, Molly Dinham, the only freshman on the team, learned how to dive for the first time after joining. “At first, I felt nervous that I was not experienced enough,” said Dinham. “After I came to a few practices though, I already noticed a lot of improvement.”
This year’s team is powered by the leadership of a twin duo. Senior captains Preston and Tenley Vassar do summer dive at their neighborhood pool and have been a part of the North Atlanta Dive team since they were freshmen. Their experience and twin connections make them the perfect candidates to lead the team to victory, and that’s exactly what they hope to do. For Preston, being a captain means setting a good example for the rest of the team. “I want to show that while we have fun, we still have to be orderly and get done what needs to be done,” said Vassar. “This year we hope to get a full roster at a dive meet and have as many of us qualify for state.”
Some stars that stand out amongst the team are sophomores Emmy Loft and Leighton Snider. The dynamic duo are both among the only 3 divers that have qualified for state. Both Loft and Snider are on highly competitive cheer teams at Stingray Allstars. They have practice 3 to 4 times a week where they master skills that can be performed as they jump off the diving board. Last year, Snider wasn’t on the team but wanted to go to state. To do so, she had to compete at three meets and qualify three separate times. “I ended up qualifying for state at every single meet I went to last year,” said Snider. “My work isn’t done, I still have lots of room for improvement.”
After two successful meets this year, the diving Dubs can’t wait for more action. Their next meet is against Woodward on November 20th, which will hopefully result in more state qualifiers.
