Personal Narrative: The Importance Of Diving

While performing a front three and a half dive off a ten meter platform, I lost track of my position and boom my head hit the water in mid rotation. The failed dive resulted in me coming up from the water not being able to hear from one ear. The impact was so severe that I ruptured my eardrum. The injury was one thing but tears rolled down my cheeks after the doctor stated that I could not dive for several weeks. Competitive diving is a sport that often begins with failure but can lead to success. A new dive is challenging because of the fear of the unknown, the preparation time, and the confidence it requires. You do not know how to perform the dive; therefore, you do not know how to respond if something goes wrong. In diving, fear is as controllable as managing an energetic three year old; extremely difficult.

After recovering from the injury, I headed back to practice and repeated the
regimented process to improve the likelihood of making the front three and a half dive the second time. First, I reviewed videos again of Olympic and world-class divers performing the dive. I repeated drawing pictures of how the dive functions, noting when I see the board, water, and ceiling to visualize where I am each moment of the dive. Next when I was at practice, my coach took me back on the trampoline which has a harness that allows me to safely practice the dive until my body knows the positions. After perfecting the dive on the trampoline, it was time to do lead ups again, which are easier dives with similar body positions. Finally, after another meeting with my coach, I was ready to attempt the front three and a half dive once more at the next practice.

Practice came, and it was time for me to perform the dive. As I climbed up to the ten meter platform, fear started to work its way into my head. I faced negative thoughts of smacking the water or rupturing my eardrum again. My pulse increased and my hands sweated, but I knew that I was prepared. I lined my feet up on the mark and began my steps. My mind focused on the next step as I ran down the platform and jumped into the air. I executed the dive just as I practiced so many times in my mind and on the trampoline. I felt my body flipping in the air as I listened for the coach’s “hup”. When I heard it, I quickly stretched my body, grabbed my wrist, pointed my toes, and kept my legs together. Splash! I safely entered the water and felt indescribable joy. My fear slipped away as a weight is lifted off my shoulders. From the failure, I learned the key to becoming a successful diver is to face your fears instead of avoiding them.
What diving has given me is the confidence to work through the challenges of life.
For example, I have a learning disability called auditory processing. Auditory processing makes it difficult for me to process verbal instructions or even to filter out background noise. With auditory processing, I have learned to advocate for myself in the classroom, at diving and in the other areas of my life. I’m a go-getter and will not back down if an obstacle is in my way like the extremely difficult front three and a half dive. I credit this attitude of overcoming to the many challenges that I must rise above in order to become a successful national and international diver. I’m up for the rigorous classes and the challenge of Big Ten Diving because nothing, not even a disability, will get in my way of having success in both the classroom and on the diving boards while at the University of Michigan. Diving has taught me many things about life, and the most important ones are to face your fears instead of avoiding them, learn to advocate for yourself, and to work through your
failures.