Diving Preview: More Dives Mean Less Divers as District Swim Meet Begins

 

WINTER HAVEN | The Class 1A, District 5 Swimming and Diving Championships begin today at Rowdy Gaines Olympic Pool with the diving competition taking center stage at 10 a.m. The swim events are scheduled for Wednesday.

The FHSAA district rules dictate that each diver present an 11-dive package from the one-meter board, which is five more dives than most of the competitors have brought to the pool during the regular-season competition.

Divers must choose five voluntary and six optional dives from a select list of forward, back, twist and the intimidating reverse and inward dives.

"This is where you lose some of your divers. They can do six dives really well but they don't have the 11 dives for districts," All Saints' Academy head coach Stacy Walsh said. "So to qualify is a really big deal."

Divers are allowed just one failed dive and they must roll up at least 280 total points to move on to the regional competition at Lake Highland Prep School Aquatic Complex in Orlando on Nov. 5. There are 24 regional berths available. There are 11 boys and nine girls competing at today's event.

All Saints' Mabry Craddock is the defending girl's 1A-5 district champion. The senior unleashed a reverse dive last year for the first time to win the title.

"It was stellar. That reverse dive at districts, she did it and conquered her fear," Walsh said.

The All Saints coach said that divers have to overcome the fear of hitting the board in order to pull off the reverse and inward dives, and many divers stay away from the challenge.

"I would sit on the side of the pool and say, ‘You can do it.' And finally she (Craddock) just did it and she has been doing it ever since. She is the type of person that once she gets past that fear, she'll do it. And she'll do it well at the meet," Walsh said.

Craddock, who has been battling illness since the county meet, is lettering in two varsity sports (also volleyball) this fall for the Saints. Monday she rested to prepare for the competition.

"I want to make it to regionals my senior year, my third year in a row. I've been working on my double-front, which has a high-degree of difficulty," Mabry said in a statement she forwarded to her coach.

Walsh said ASA junior Alexandra Prati, who has a gymnastics background, has the right combination of dives to make a strong bid to qualify for regionals.

Also, look for Frostproof's Erika Cord and Robby Costine along with Lakeland Christian senior Mitch Devore to figure into the mix of top scorers.

Cord rolled up 168.05 points last week with a six-dive package to finish second for the girls at the Polk County meet.

"This is a true test with the 11 dives. I think Erika has got it," Frostproof coach Nancy Leatherland said. "She has a nice inward (dive)."

Devore (221.65) finished second and Costine (204.90) third at the boys' county meet.

Costine was a state qualifier last year as an eighth grader and finished 23rd in the state.

"He's got a couple of new dives that I think he is going to show off. His contender is Mitch (Devore). They high-five and talk but competition is the bottom line," Leatherland said.