In preparation for this year’s season, the McLean dive team takes into accountability teamwork and effort. It acts as a family more than a team, cheering each other on for every dive, flip and dip they take into the water.

“The team is very cohesive, we get along very well and we all know each other personally,” sophomore Riley Diaz said. “We never speak negatively of our own team or the team we were diving against.”

The dive team focuses on showing leadership and spreading positivity throughout the district by respecting other teams, always clapping and cheering on teammates. Divers uplift one another and help with learning new skills, dives and techniques.

“With our freshmen we’ve had to teach a lot of new dives this season. We’ve started to do more complicated twists and positions,” Diaz said.

As the seniors head off for college and enjoy new experiences, the freshmen are taught new skills to hold up McLeans dive reputation. Learning new skills can be extremely hard to perform and master.

“My dive teammates are super supportive—they motivate me and teach me new dives,” freshman Catherine Ayers said.

The motivation and support bleeds into the relationships the divers have with one another. There is constant reassurance that they have each other’s backs, even on bad days.

“The best part about the dive team is we’re all really close, we all talk to each other a lot. And we always see each other outside of diving,” Ayers said. “Practices are really fun with everyone there.”