While most of Lakewood High School rested over winter break, the diving team was up every morning at eight a.m. for their practices. Instead of having their usual coach, the team was able to work together with their team captain to strengthen and improve their abilities for the week and season to come.
One thing that was clear to see through the winter break practices was the leadership abilities of diving team captain Rian Fetting. Fetting spent time working with the other divers, serving as a valuable resource to the team. His value was also noticed by the team’s coach, Dennis Dyke.
“Rian was team captain last year and he’s team captain this year, you can expect him to be a team leader,” Dyke said.
While this display of leadership may have seemed natural to both the team and the coach, it was a bit more of a challenge for Fetting. Filling in for their coach didn’t come as naturally as it may have seemed.
“It was definitely a little daunting especially because our end-of-season championship meets are right around the corner,” Fetting said. “I think we managed to get things going which put us in a good spot for the end of the season.”
Fetting continues by crediting the mentors in his life for giving him the leadership abilities and different methods to use when coaching. Many of these mentors inspired him to interact with and help the other members of the diving team.
“I think [my coaching methods] were a mix of Denny’s…and different methods I’ve learned from other teams I’ve trained with to sort of coagulate all of the knowledge I’ve gained in a helpful way.”
Fetting wasn’t the only one helping guide his teammates; a large source of their motivation came from each other. The early mornings were often accompanied by encouragement and applause from the other divers.
“We would all clap if someone did a good job or…tell them what they need to improve on…we are all working together to help each other,” sophomore diver Mikayla Jaissle said.
The time dedication over break served as a consistent way for the team to focus and work on bettering themselves and their dives. Diving with the team proved to be a good source of self-reflection and growth for Jaissle, who was able to see her performance in a different light.
“I actually saw a lot more progress being made than I expected,” Jaissle said. “I was able to self-coach and honestly improved a lot because I was able to see for myself what I was doing wrong.”
Areas of focus varied between the divers, whether that be perfecting their techniques or meeting goals; Junior Riley Stallbaum showed improvement in both areas.
“I cleaned up my dives that I’ve been doing and worked on some newer dives like my double, and even went to an eleven dive meet.”
The divers’ improvement was gradual over the break but clear to see. The collaborative effort and growth were a factor in the team’s success. Fetting was excited about the team’s progress, which included a few stand-out achievements.
“We have seen a lot of improvement in our technique specifically,” Fetting said. “It has improved as a team so much more than I initially anticipated as well as a few more dives learned.”
Dyke was also delighted with the development and progress made over break, coming back with high expectations of the team.
“I expected them to be doing well and they are doing well,” Dyke said. “They do repetitions each time they practice so they get better…I expected them to get better.”
These practices strengthened the divers’ abilities and their connection and trust with one another. Spending the mornings together became less of a chore while strengthening bonds within the team.
Reflecting at the end of winter break, Fetting was very pleased with the progression of both the divers and the connections within the team.
In a sport focused on performance as an individual, the diving team collaborates to make it a space for the collective, lifting each other up and watching each other excel.
