Q: What must you do to become the state champ?
A: Practice hard, listen to my coach. Just have that mind-set every day in practice that my goal is to get up there and dive my best.
Q: Most embarassing moment in diving?
A: Balking on the 3-meter board. Balking is when you stop in the middle of the dive. I was doing an inward 2 1/2 for the first time. I was kind of freaked out because it’s high up. I guess I wasn’t focusing like I should have been.
Q: How do you feel about swimmers?
A: I give them a lot of credit. They practice so hard. I see guys red in the face after practice. I think of our team more as one big group instead of separate diving and swimming teams.
Q: Do you have any role models?
A: My dad (Nathan) and my diving coach (Gerry Petit).
Q: The worst thing about diving?
A: When you’re learning the harder dives. You’re insecure about the dive, and if something goes wrong you’re smacking on the water, and that hurts a lot.
Q: When was your last belly flop?
A: It wasn’t too long ago, actually. I think I was doing an inward 2 1/2 on 1 meter. I came out of the dive too early and I pretty much landed flat on the water. It definitely knocks the wind out of you.
Q: When did you know you were a good diver?
A: At the beginning of last year was when it hit me. I started getting more strength on the board and I started doing harder dives. Coaches started coming up to me, and it’d be, “Hey, you’re looking really good.” I got fourth in state, and that made me feel even better and more confident.
Q: What CD’s are in your changer?
A: Green Day, “Dookie”; Papa Roach, “Infest”; Queen, “Greatest Hits”; and Michael Jackson, “Greatest Hits.”
