Courtesy of UR Athletics
1. How did you first get into diving?
My mom was the swimming and diving coach at our high school and would bring me along to all of her meets and practices. Diving always interested me, so I decided to try it when a club team began practicing at our pool.
2. How do you combat the fear of mistakes in such a precise sport?
I try not to worry too much about the possibility of making a mistake on a dive. Mistakes are inevitable and will probably happen to everyone at some point in the meet. I think it’s more important to recover and get mentally back into the meet after making a mistake so it doesn’t affect the entire meet.
3. What is your proudest moment as a diver? Why?
I would have to say that qualifying for the National Meet last year at zones was a pretty proud moment for me as a diver. It was something I didn’t really expect to happen, and it was exciting to be given the opportunity to compete with really good divers from all over.
4. How did it feel to break your personal record and set a pool mark this past weekend?
Because of the subjectivity of the sport, high scores at meets do not always line up with personal best performances. I was excited to break those records this weekend, because even though the meet was somewhat high scoring, I was happy with the way I dove and I was glad that my scores reflected that. It is also reassuring to know that my dives are getting better, and my scores are going up from where they were last year, as well as earlier this year.
5. How do you mentally prepare yourself before a dive?
Before every dive, I go through the mechanics of the dive on deck and try to visualize it. I always aim to block out negative thoughts about things that could go wrong right before I go.
6. Who do you look up to most? Why?
I look up to the two older divers on our team a lot. They really helped me adjust to college and being a part of the swimming and diving team here. They are also both super supportive and make practice more enjoyable every day
7. Would you rather cook dinner for Che Guevara or Lady Gaga?
I would rather cook dinner for Lady Gaga. I would have to put a lot of work into it… I hear she likes her meat raw. Raw raw raw raw raw.
Eber is a member of
the class of 2017.
