Left to right, Coronado diver Ally Cale, Stevie Hosner, Maddie Gardner and Kaitlyn Thompson rest on the deck during practice Tuesday at UNLV’s Buchanan Natatorium.
Saturday, April 10, 2010 | 2:01 a.m.
Think high school sports, and minds instinctively turn to rivalries, recruiting wars and coaches trying to outsmart one another.
But the scene that plays out beneath the evening lights at UNLV belies that by redefining the normal sense of interscholastic competition: Divers from rival high schools across the valley are sharing the same coaches and pool.
They’re at the Buchanan Natatorium because there are not enough indoor pools with high diving boards in Southern Nevada. So here they converge on Tuesday and Thursday nights, these young athletes setting aside school rivalries in favor of mutual encouragement for everyone to do their best.
The atmosphere is laid-back, the friendships are sincere and diving is improving. It defines sportsmanship.
“We’ve always been together, so there has never been an issue of not liking (another diver),” said Eli Niebuhr, a Faith Lutheran Jr/Sr High School senior. “There is no room for that here. We come from different schools and different backgrounds. But here we are all the same, and that’s working on becoming a better diver.”
The program consists of about 60 divers, most of whom are seasonal competitors or new to the sport. The setting is unlike any in high school sport — divers, regardless of school affiliation or ability, bonded by their mutual efforts and adversity.
Take Tuesday night. Five minutes into practice, a rookie failed in her attempt at a simple back dive, violently belly-flopping. The painful sound of her body slapping the water was quickly masked by enthusiastic clapping from the other divers.
That’s one of the unwritten rules: When a diver badly fails, the others show their support with cheer, not to mock but to encourage. That support holds true in dual meets, when divers are competing against each other for their schools.
School rivalries, common in every prep sport, are refreshingly nonexistent. They genuinely root for one another.
“If you know someone was struggling with a dive all week, and they figure it out during the meet, you definitely clap for them,” said Melanie Chabin, a Bonanza High School junior. “That makes them feel better. They would do the same for you.”
The divers come from as far away as Boulder City. It’s a common practice for divers from different schools or parts of town to carpool.
The divers are divided into two groups — Sunrise and Sunset regions — based on the location of their schools. Four coaches direct traffic, each manning a station where divers rotate to receive equal instruction.
“We treat them all the same regardless of skill level,” said Tad Tinnell, a former diving coach at the University of Arkansas and UNLV. “They all learn, every single one of them.”
Competitions are typically held Friday nights with each diver making six dives. Points earned go toward the Saturday dual meet where the diver’s schoolmates compete in swimming events.
Each school can have four divers and one alternate in each of the boys and girls meets. Most schools, however, scramble to find two divers. Arbor View is the lone school to field a full team.
Maybe it is the complexity of the sport, or having to travel to UNLV for practice, but diving always lacks numbers.
But that adds to the camaraderie. If each school fielded a full complement of divers, there would be more than 300 participants.
When Josh Hartmann started coaching in the program four years ago, there were about 30 divers. He considers it a major victory that participation has nearly doubled.
There are no cuts, no punishment for underperforming, and everyone is given a chance to shine. Unlike other high school sports, where noncontributing players often lose interest because of a lack of playing time, the opportunity to contribute as a diver is attractive.
“Diving in itself is fun,” Hartmann said. “As hard of a sport as it is, we try to make it fun for the kids. Some kids are natural comedians and others can be a little more serious, but everyone is here to have fun.”
No matter what school they’re from.
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