By plane and by car, the Tier I divers and their parents were spirited away to Thunder Bay over the weekend to compete in the 2011 Provincial Championships. KWDC were fearsome competitors, breaking personal records and, in the case of CJ, three provincial records in Men’s A Platform and Men’s Open Platform and 3m. Both CJ and Emily were named Outstanding Divers in their respective categories of Men’s A and Women’s Open. Out of 12 teams participating, KWDC placed third overall!
Attending their first Tier I Provincials were level D divers, Raine and Aniko. Raine achieved a personal best and necessary qualifier on tower, while Aniko scored a personal best and 4th place finish on 1m. Kevin achieved a personal best and bronze on tower along with a personal best on 3m.
For the first time ever, KWDC was able to field three pairs in men’s synchro. The teams were comprised of the seasoned duo of Brett and CJ (Gold), as well as newcomers Nate/Ali (Silver) and Gabriel/Andy (Bronze). Not only did the younger boys have fun, they performed very well considering that they had only practiced once before provincials!
Individually, the C boys also performed well. Nate scored three personal bests, two silver and a bronze with all scores surpassing 300 for the first time. Ali received personal bests on 1m and tower as well as a necessary qualifier on the latter. Gabriel exceeded his previous scores on all three boards and carried off a strong armstand on tower. Andy also accomplished what he set out to achieve – a personal best and qualifier on platform. All boys made it to the podium and are fully qualified for Junior Nationals!
B diver, Mohamed, performed his first 105C on 1m, earning him a silver medal along with his bronze on 3m.
Some of the best diving was seen at the A level. With CJ’s injuries behind him, he was able to dive at his full potential and bring home six Gold medals. Brett shone in the Open category, scoring Bronze medals in 1m, 3m and Platform.
For the first time, Emily competed 3m as well as 1m in Women’s Open. Not only did she perform a terrific 105C on 3m, she also scored a personal best on 1m.
All 10 junior divers are now qualified, partially or fully, to attend the Speedo Junior National Championships in Pointe Claire Quebec during the week of July 7-10th, 2011. Never before has KWDC sent such a large team to a national event and there is much excitement amongst all the divers, perhaps especially for first-timers, Raine and Aniko. Expect to see lots of serious diving over the next month and a half!
