Local students organize new diving club

Teresa Tucker, Orange County High School Diving Coach
Published: July 10, 2008

Every summer, pools are full of kids exhibiting feats of daring off the diving board. This summer, a group of young athletes has taken their efforts a step farther. Three divers, representing three different high schools, helped organize a diving club. Heather Stephenson (WMHS), Sarah Bomberger (FCHS), and Tim Edwards (OCHS) convinced their regular season coach that it was about time the area divers had the opportunity to sharpen their skills during the off-season.
Each of these veteran divers ranked in the top 10 in last year’s state competition and all have aspirations of diving at the college level.
Diving teams have slowly been added to most of central Virginia’s high school swim teams. During a swim meet, diving is one event that can add up to 20 points to a team’s score. Without a dive team, those points are usually sacrificed to the opponent. Divers can also participate in strictly dive meets separate from the swim team and diving invitationals. Most divers who successfully master the basic 11 dives continue into the post-season with an opportunity to compete at the state level.
In addition to the veteran divers, the club membership includes a group of “career-switchers.“ Gymnastics utilizes many of the same basic body movements as diving. Diving creates less impact on the joints and fewer hard landings. Casey Kyriacopoulos (AHS), Jen Mileur (AHS), Alex Poletti (WAHS), and Connor Carson (AHS) have already learned enough dives to compete at the high school level and are advancing their skills to have a complete set of dives prior to the start of the season.
Two additional high school athletes working on their diving skills are Courtney Farrel (OCHS) and Robert Edwards (OCHS). The youngest club members are Vicka Mark (9) and Franklin Farrel (8).
The focus of the club is on the fundamentals of diving and the progressive advancement of skills, as well as, the fun of training with a group. The Paragon Divers meet at the Fairview Swim and Tennis Club in Charlottesville on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 7 p.m. Fees depend on the number of participants in each session. Information is available through .

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