Diving is a sport that requires not only strength and endurance, but also agility, flexibility, and even grace. These very things are what sophomore Alexandra Angueira-Colombani strives for as a competitive diver for club and school teams, as well as a former gymnast.

“I was invited one day by a very good friend to watch one of their practices,” Colombani said. “I got to watch people fling themselves through the air and mail a dive. I loved watching the adrenaline it gave to you and the supportive teammates always being there for you. I knew in that instant that I fell in love with the sport.”

Colombani previously did gymnastics competitively, but decided to switch to club diving and eventually the school team.

“I switched sports due to many injuries and a loss of passion for gymnastics,” Colombani said. “It was also not the best environment for me to be in and I needed a change.”

At competitions, divers participate in various rounds and results are determined by judges who observe each diver for certain criteria. 

“There are different rounds in diving. Each round you have to do a different dive and there’s a specific set of rules,” Colombani said. “Then we get judged based on the difficulty and execution of the dive. The smaller the splash and the amount of height you get, the higher your score.”

Diving also requires extensive practice, as divers work to perfect their dives as much as they possibly can up until competition day.

“I prepare for diving competitions by memorizing the list of dives I am competing in,” Colombani said. “I go to practice and run through the whole list and I make sure I am competition ready. After practice, I mentally picture myself doing the dive and the motions of it. The day before, I try to relax myself and stay calm. On the day of the meet, I do models, which are the motions of my dive but on land, and I stretch out and make sure nothing is tight or anything hurts. As I get closer to the meet I play music to get myself into the mindset and talk to my friends until it is time to compete.”

Being in a sport can be very time consuming, and diving is no exception. Colombani regardless finds ways to manage her time efficiently and keep her grades in check.

“I manage my time by using any free periods or enrichment to try to get as much homework or any assignments done,” Colombani said. “After school, I have to drive pretty far for practice, so if someone else is driving I usually finish the rest of my work. If I can’t complete it all then I will try to stay up late finishing my homework and wake up really early to study. It can be very stressful at times, especially if you have multiple tests or quizzes the next day. In the end I always figure it out and some days are longer than others.”

Colombani said that being in diving has taught her a lot of things.

“It has taught me that I can achieve anything with the right attitude, hard work and determination,” Colombani said. “Don’t procrastinate anything, it will only make things worse. Also, don’t stress about things you can’t control. Sometimes it is best to stay calm and have fun with anything you do.”