From nearly 25’, CSD high school divers like journalist and student athlete, Avery Nardone, perform dives that seem larger (and higher) than life (and the tree tops).
The adventure begins with the six and a half hour drive from Carolina Dive Academy’s pool located in Huntersville, NC to the beautiful, outdoor facility of Moss Farms in Moultrie, Georgia. The club, despite being in a smaller, rural town separated from major cities by hours of farmland, has managed to produce olympic athletes such as Carson Tyler and invites diving clubs from across the country to their Moose Moss Invitational.
As the sun sets, the CDA team arrives for dinner. Margaritas tex-mex, is a CDA favorite as the team has visited it year after year. The team dinner is a CDA ritual when traveling to meets where the athletes look forward to releasing meet-stress and hangout. (Avery Nardone)
(From Left) Addison Nardone, Reagan Leckner, Avery Noonan and Avery Nardone stand in line for the one meter board as Archer Hintz prepares to dive. For the first of many practices while visiting Moultrie, the athletes were instructed to do a simple “Touch” of each level: one meter, three meter, and platform. Since Carolina Diving Academy is based at an indoor facility, it is crucial the athletes quickly adjust to the differences of diving outdoors with factors such as the blinding sun. Divers use a “spotting” method to be mindful of their position in the air whether they spot the board, water, or other stationary objects. However with the bright Georgia sun beating on them while spinning or twisting at such a fast rate, spotting is nearly impossible since everything is a blur of blue. (Avery Nardone)
Peyton Liddle and Avery Nardone are delighted they found the time to hangout at a popularly recommended restaurant, Three Crazy Bakers. Since the girls’ one meter event was later in the day, many CDA team members decided to fill the time exploring the town of Moultrie. While traveling for diving meets, whether it is to a few states away from North Carolina or to different countries, it’s rare there is time for non-diving activities so the teammates cherish every moment. (Avery Nardone)
Avery Nardone warms up her 303c (reverse one and a half somersaults tuck) for competition. Later the same day the girls warm up for their one meter event, while on the opposite end of the pool the boys warm up for their three meter event. The competition is a blur of emotions, scores and surprisingly laughter as the energy this meet was less serious and fun. A Moss Farms diver brought a speaker that elevated the athletes’ mood and contributed to solid performances. (Avery Nardone)
(From left) Reagan Leckner and Avery Nardone discuss their game plans for the three meter. The conversation ranges from a dive they are nervous about doing to where they are getting dinner together that night. The girls prepare for their three meter event while the boys do the same for their one meter. Every athlete has their own unique routine they use to stay in a secure headspace and set themselves up for success. Some athletes are more ritualistic and superstitious, such as needing a specific shammy in order to have a good performance. Other athletes prefer a more light-hearted approach such as talking among divers or even cracking jokes. (Avery Nardone)
Nate Robinson (in the left corner from the other end of the pool) films Avery Nardone as she performs one of her optional dives, a 5233D (back one and a half somersaults, one and a half twists). It is of her stronger dives that averages higher scores. The girls three meter is still underway when the boys finish their one meter. The event began in the late afternoon and continues until sunset, overlaying everything with a gorgeous golden color. The harder dives, called optionals, are toward the end of a divers list. (Avery Nardone)
Sometimes the cell phone and graphics offer a diversion. With one event remaining, the team stays at the pool late to practice their platform dives and clean them up for the final day. The highest meet stress, heat and exhaustion have caught up with divers. With multiple practices and sometimes even multiple events in a day, it can be hard to stay motivated and have the energy necessary to get the listed dives completed. The competition itself is emotionally draining as every diver usually has at least one dive in their 8-10 dive list that is their achilles heel or intimidating. CDA coaches, Aaron Hintz and Brian McCrae, help encourage athletes to stay focused and push through the tiredness to ensure a consistent performance for the remaining events. (Avery Nardone)
Avery Nardone warming up her 103b (front one and a half somersaults pike) off the seven meter platform while her sister, Addison Nardone, watches from the five meter platform, and coach Aaron Hintz (grey shirt) watches from the deck. The last event of the entire meet is the girls and boys platform. The athletes perform a variety of dives from a simple 201B (back dive pike) to a 107c (front three and a half tuck). After the competition, all the athletes are relieved and lay in the hottub to treat their sore muscles before the long drive back home. (Avery Nardone)
Back home in North Carolina (from Left), Reagan Leckner, Bella Whilhem and Avery Nardone are relieved to have the competition behind them but are also anticipating the one ahead. Since most divers didn’t arrive home till late on Sunday night, Coach Aaron Hinz cancelled the Monday morning 6’ o’clock practice but afternoon practices were still on schedule to prepare for a meet the following weekend. Each meet provides a new opportunity to perform new dives and get higher scores. Even if a meet does not go ideally, it is still important to have experience. However stressful, the team is thankful for their new tans from diving outside and for the fun they had at the Moose Moss Invitational. (Avery Nardone)
Avery Nardone is a junior in her second year at CSD and first year in Journalism who hopes to explore the art of writing and media in the course. She dreams of experiencing as much of the world as possible and wants to capture it through writing.
On top of classes, Avery practices diving eight times a week but on the rare occasion she has free time she’s running, playing pickleball or reading. Her friends are very important to her and they enjoy going to Chili’s, road tripping and exploring new places. Traveling and adventures are something she would feel incomplete without.
Quote?
“To define is to limit”
-Oscar Wilde
Walk-up Song?
“You are the right one”
-Sports
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