As the weather gets colder and the school year gets tougher, winter sports launch into full swing. Athletes around the school get ready for another season of working towards success, or in this case, diving towards success. 

New this season, the girls swim and dive team has a total of three divers, the most it has had in recent years. The divers consist of senior Maggie Merz, sophomore Carly Torbit, and freshman Abby Kuhn. 

Diving since her freshman year, Merz has high hopes for the upcoming season. Placing at the 2019 Gateway Athletic Conference, she also looks forward to further growth in her sport and experience in diving.

“My dives have become a lot cleaner for sure. I’ve gotten higher scores as the years have gone on,” Merz said. “I’m still learning, but I think I’ve done pretty well for just diving during swim season.” 

For Torbit and Kuhn, being new to diving is a commonality, both working hard in their diving lessons. Inarguably, many may be wary of leaping off of a platform 10 meters in the air, performing flips and tricks in the process. But luckily enough, neither show any fear of plummeting into the water, and both come with a wealth of skills that suit the sport. 

“I think my experience with gymnastics probably helps me with cheer and diving,” Torbit said. “I’m so excited to actually try diving because I’ve always looked at divers like on TV and it just looks so fun.”

In a sport, an athlete can find much more than a way to stay fit and represent the school. With Kuhn, a new place of belonging was found in her search for a winter sport.

“I just wanted to do something in the winter to stay active,” Kuhn said. “We’re all just really close with each other, and just from the first day you could tell.” 

Many students discover another place to call home in joining a sport or activity. A group of like-minded kids with a common interest can quickly become family. It’s no different for the swim and dive team, who has a history of being close-knit.

“In the years past, it’s been really strong. I really consider them part of my family to be honest,” Merz said. “This year I’m really looking forward to it because we’ve nearly doubled in size so it’s very interesting to see how everything goes this year.”

As a newcomer to the team, Torbit agrees, noting the welcoming nature of all the girls.

“I’ve only known these girls for a week, but I love them all they’re so nice,” Torbit said. 

The bond between the group and the motivation of the new members already brings the team to a promising beginning to their season. Bringing a diverse set of skills and a light to this uncommon sport, the three daring divers exude the potential to bring their team to new heights.