On January 20, the Lake Ridge Dive Team competed in the District’s Championship Meet. The District Meet was the first of three rounds, where a select few divers will progress to Regionals, and eventually to State. Leading up to this event took great preparation and training from each diver, as they were working towards reaching their personal goals.

Many Lake Ridge divers have been training for years, prepared to utilize their abilities in meets such as the recent Districts. Perfecting a dive is not something that happens immediately, and divers must work out and train for each skill until they are ready to compete it. Freshman, Madison Boseman, has been diving for 4 years, experiencing both high and low moments that keep her motivated to continue improving.

“My least favorite part about diving is probably doing terrifying dives, because it’s scary, and flopping hurts so bad. My favorite part is probably the feeling you get when you do a really good dive, especially when you do it for the first time,” said Boseman.

Much unlike other sports teams, Dive team members don’t work directly with each other while diving in meets, making the sport more based on personal growth. Although this is true, it is still just as important for the team to have a strong relationship, as the support and common goals can greatly affect each diver. Sophomore, Kylie Dunbar, has enjoyed her experience most due to her connection with her teammates.
“It’s really helpful to have other people cheering you on and motivating you. Your teammates can really help encourage you to try new things, and they keep you working hard,” said Dunbar.

The divers practice and train from 2-4 hours a day, each working on their individual improvement. Each diver has the ability to work at their own pace and to the best of their own ability, meaning every person has a unique experience and relationship with the sport. Freshman, Hannah Dillon, who has just recently joined the Dive team, wasn’t sure what to expect leading up to her first District Championship Meet.

“Since I’ve started [diving] later than a lot of people, I’m not sure if I’ll make it farther than districts. My goal is just to do as best as I can and try to get high scores. It just makes me feel really proud that I’m actually able to compete in it, and how far I’ve come,” said Dillon.

Many divers have had the goal to move on from the District meet, and even the Regionals, with the hopes of competing in State. However, reaching these goals requires a great amount of training and coaching to reach the level of skill that is necessary. Freshman, Brenden Box, has been guided and motivated by his coach, who helped him reach the level of skill that he is now able to compete with.

“My coach has always been motivating me to try bigger dives. He wants me to put in the work and make changes, instead of just diving without purpose. He’s always helped me,” stated Box.

Dive Coach, Andrew Serie, started diving at the age of 11 years old, continuing through college, and has been coaching ever since. He has worked in Mansfield for 5 years, with 3 of his divers moving on to become State Champions. Coach Serie was very proud of all of the divers, considering all the work they put in.

“The outcome of the District Championship meet was great. The divers did great. We had 5 personal best scores and two school records broken,” said Serie.

The District Meet was an important competition to the Dive team, though it was important to each person for different reasons. Some have competed with the hopes of reaching their goals and moving on to following rounds, while others simply hoped to show their progress and do their best. With all the work the coach and the divers put in, as well as the motivation and support they’ve received, the team is ready to dive into the next round of the competition!