With an extra team in house for the past week, the diving boards and platforms of Saanich Commonwealth Place have looked like a slot machine spitting out athletes.
Hurricane Irma hit Cuba, killing 10 people, and flattening homes and other infrastructure. During the evacuation to safe shelter, and the recovery process after Irma left, the youth athletes of the Cuban national diving team were unable to train for 10 days.
Eight of them arrived in Saanich on Sept. 20, diving alongside the Boardworks Diving Club in preparation for the Pan American Junior Diving Championships, Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 at Commonwealth Place.
B次元官网网址淎re we OK? Always, weB次元官网网址檒l be OK,B次元官网网址� said Cuban diving coach Lino Socorro. B次元官网网址淲e made a quick training plan before we came here and now weB次元官网网址檙e training as much as possible before the competition.B次元官网网址�
Boardworks has three athletes competing in this weekB次元官网网址檚 Pan Ams. Royal OakB次元官网网址檚 Carson Paul, 12, qualified for two events, winning national gold this year in the three-metre springboard and 10-metre platform for 12-and-13-year olds. Paul also won national bronze in the one-metre, but only the gold and silver spots qualify. Cadboro BayB次元官网网址檚 Kiera Lu, 11, will compete at Pan Ams as she won national silver in the one-metre (for 11-and-under). ColwoodB次元官网网址檚 Brydon Hattie will compete in the 16-to-18 category as the national champion in three-metre, though he also won national bronze in the one-metre for his age group.
ItB次元官网网址檚 the, including this yearB次元官网网址檚 Speedo Junior Development National Championships, July 7 to 9.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been a long year, but the advantages for our club hosting these events far outweigh the work we put in,B次元官网网址� said Boardworks coach Lisa Boog. B次元官网网址淔or our divers to compete in their home pool is already an advantage.B次元官网网址�
All three Boardworks divers are capable of B次元官网网址榤edalingB次元官网网址� this week, Boog added.
There are 110 athletes coming from eight nations: Brazil, Columbia, Cuba, Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the U.S. as well as Canada.
For Lu, success will likely hinge on her inwards 1.5 pike.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a big one for me, I moved from fifth to second place at the nationals based on that dive,B次元官网网址� Lu said. B次元官网网址淢y first dives werenB次元官网网址檛 the best but then my optional dives were [better].B次元官网网址�
On top of winning double-gold at nationals, Paul picked up $10,000 from Petro Canada last week to go towards his diving career. ItB次元官网网址檚 part of the Fuelling Athletes and Coaching Excellence program grant.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檒l mostly go towards travel,B次元官网网址� said Paul.
If PaulB次元官网网址檚 future travel expenses to compete at this level werenB次元官网网址檛 so expensive, it would have been ironic that Paul won the grant in a year where Saanich hosted so many national and international events.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 great competing at home, and at Pan Ams thereB次元官网网址檚 less dives, just the two events, so thereB次元官网网址檚 more time to train and focus on one board.B次元官网网址�
