By Vada-Lyn Clark, Staff Writer
When you’re the only diver on the swim team, all eyes are on you. The board and pool are yours. You close your eyes, take a deep breath, set aside your fears, remember your training … and jump.
This is the case for junior Gray Miller, the only diver on the FFHS swim team. Miller expressed how this creates less stress, as he has little competition.
“I am the only diver at this school, meaning I am going to be the top diver on the Outer Banks,” Miller said with excitement.
Although there is no competition within the school itself, being the only diver also can be lonely at times.
“I just went to states (on Feb. 11) and got second place. I had my family and my club coach there with me, but there is nobody my age that I know with me when I compete for the school,” Miller said. “I wish I had others there with me to celebrate, but again, it’s nice because I have no pressure of being beaten.”
Miller has been diving for six years. It started when he was very young by simply playing around at home until it grew into a passion.
“My father would pull up coolers, tables, refrigerators, etc., stack them and I would jump off of them,” Miller said. “Also, both of my sisters have been cheering their whole lives and when I was young, they would teach me tumbling and flips.”
However, because diving is not a common sport, Miller had trouble finding a place where he could develop his skills in the sport. After years of searching for somewhere to dive, he found facilities in the Hampton area. Miller’s parents dedicate more than six hours three days a week to his training, driving him to the facility and back.
Diving is a time-consuming sport for Miller, and not just because the pools are hours away, but because of the dedication it takes. Divers must be able to perform dives in five disciplines: forward, backward, inward, reverse and twisting. All require separate skill sets focusing mostly on balance, strength and flexibility as well as mental focus.
Hampton Aquaplex instructor Jim Burden has coached Miller through his rigorous training for four years.
“At this time, Gray is performing college-level dives in each category and performing them with collegiate-level proficiency,” Burden said.
Miller’s success in this sport is difficult to achieve, especially at such a young age, but he faces challenges head-on. As in every sport, there is a serious risk of injury, but Miller doesn’t let his fear get in the way of his passion and dreams.
“What I do to get over my fears is just to watch the videos of me doing the dives and figure out what I need to fix,” Miller said.
Calming the mind is something that is also imperative in diving and is something that Miller’s coach stresses for proper performance.
“Overcoming the fear, laser focus and execution is a talent that few athletes possess,” Burden said. “You simply cannot appreciate the difficulty of this sport until you have tried it.”
Miller suffers minor injuries often, cutting his feet, legs, arms and hands. This is because in diving, one is very close to the diving board and certain parts of the body are liable to clip the board.
This can cause complications for divers during competitions. But just like any sport, safety is the No. 1 concern and diving is no exception.
“If blood is anywhere, you are not allowed to stay at the pool and you have to go home. This is for the pool staff’s health,” Miller said.
Despite the danger of the sport, Miller strives for success and allows his passion to override his fears. As a result, he and his coaches are working toward college-level success in his diving career.
“My motivation is my dream of diving in college,” Miller said. “I think it would be an amazing start to going to college because I will automatically be put into a group of people and will make friends quickly. I am very competitive, and diving on the college level sounds and looks amazing.”
Sophomore Vada-Lyn Clark can be reached at [email protected].
