WICHITA, Kan.—
Standing one to three meters over the water preparing to dive and being the only one who is supporting your school is a normal feeling for sophomore Jesse Nguyen.Nguyen tried out for the swim team in December, but decided to quit swimming and tackle diving because it sounded more interesting and the swim practice schedule conflicted with his schedule. Little did he know, he would be the only one left on the dive team since nobody else stuck with it.
There is a lot of pressure being the only diver on the team since he is the only one at meets and competes, which just adds to the stress of trying to do your best, according to Nguyen.
“There were originally four to five divers, but Jesse is the only one who stuck with it. He shows a lot of heart and if he continues to dive for the next few years he could be really good. I would feel a lot of pressure being the only diver, it would all come down to you. It takes a lot of determination to stick with it when nobody else will,”senior Bobby Brokschmidt said.
But just the feeling of diving and competing keeps Nguyen going, said he feels like he’s jumping on a trampoline every time he dives and he loves being able to do flips and turns.
Nguyen practices at East High School every day from 5-7 p.m. along with six to seven other divers in the USD 259 district and is coached by Jared Nolan. He practices with the same people he will compete against typically, and looks up to the returning divers for inspiration because of their experience and advanced talent.
Everyone on the swim team supports him in being the only diver. Because of the strain it puts on him being the only one who represents the school in diving according to Nguyen. Even the competitors and divers he practices with help and support him which typically releases the tension.
“Even at competitions they give words of encouragement like ‘good job’ and when I have bad dives they tell me how I can improve. Their tips help me improve and the words of encouragement keep me motivated,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen finds diving more as a hobby and is doing it for fun. He wants to join the dive club over the summer to get better and thinks it could be fun since he has nothing better to do.
One of his best moments of the season was on Jan. 5 when he was at a competition at Northwest and everybody had to do a back dive, he ended up scoring higher than the other five returning divers. But he is the only one who stuck with it all season.
