How long have you been diving?
I don’t even know when I started! Both of my parents coach diving, so I literally grew up on a pool deck. I went to my first meet at 1 week old. I learned to swim in the hot tub at Trees Pool, University of Pittsburgh. I was jumping off the boards before I could swim (Don’t worry - someone was always there to catch me at the bottom)! I only dove twice a week until I quit gymnastics at age 15. So how long have I been diving? Somewhere between six years and twenty-one years.
What diving teams have you been a member of?
Pitt Aquatic Club, Stanford
List Top Diving Achievements:
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3rd on 3-meter and 1st on 3-meter synchro at 2005 U.S. Summer Nationals
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3rd in synchro with Nancilea Underwood at 2005 USA and China Grand Prix meets
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8th on 3 meter at 2006 FINA World Cup.
What are your hobbies outside of diving?
I love to read and write. Last year I wrote a column in Stanford’s student newspaper. I really enjoy trying new things. When I’m traveling, I love trying new foods (for example, jellyfish and turtle in China!). The same goes for activities - In the last year, I’ve taken classes in Improv Theater, Design, and Ballet, to name a few, and while I’m not exactly a natural actress, artist, or dancer, I really enjoy the experience.
What do you do between dives at competition?
Sometimes I’ll listen to music and do crosswords, other times I’ll talk with teammates or just sit and watch the meet. It all depends on how I’m feeling during the competition, and what will keep me in the best frame of mind.
What’s in your iPod or CD player right now?
Dream On, by Aerosmith.
What is your favorite dive to do?
5353C.
 What has been your biggest obstacle?
I’ve had to work hard to learn to “stay in the moment.” While I’m competing, and even while I’m practicing, it’s easy for me to get caught up in worrying about things – “What if I don’t do the mechanic right? What if I miss this dive? What will people think?” – instead of just doing the dive, focusing on what I’m supposed to do on the tip of the board, and living in the moment.
What is your favorite food?
Chocolate chip cookies. But some people claim that cookies aren’t a real food, so I guess I have to go with Salmon.
What is your favorite movie?
The Wizard of Oz. I’ve loved that movie since I was three years old.
What are your favorite TV shows?
Family Guy, South Park, Whose Line is it Anyway, and Grey’s Anatomy.
If you could do any other sport, what would it be and why?
I’m not sure – I tried tennis for the first time last summer, and it was a lot of fun.
What city is your favorite to visit?
New York. There is so much to see and do there!
What is your most embarrassing “diving moment?”
Nancilea and I were competing synchro in Zhuhai, China, and it was my first dive of my first list of my first international meet ever. We were doing a synchronized 101B without a hurdle. We thought we’d perfected our synchronized walk to the end of the board, but I was so nervous that when the whistle blew, I just started walking instead of waiting for “Ready, Go” from Nancilea. When I noticed that she was still standing there, I stopped walking, but by that time, she’d started walking and was ahead of me. Then she stopped and I started again… when we finally made it to the end of the board, she started to turn around to do an inward dive, and ended up walking in a full circle on the end of the board. By this time the entire crowd (and in China, there are big crowds!) was laughing at us.
What advice can you offer young divers as they progress through this sport?
Listen. Listen to your coaches. They probably know a lot, not only about diving, but about life in general. Also, smile! If you’re not happy doing what you’re doing, then you shouldn’t be doing it.
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