Julia Reinhard has no qualms about plummeting head first into a pool of water from a 10-metre platform.
In fact, 10-metres isn’t high enough.
The 10-year-old Langley diver says the higher up she can go, the better.
“I love heights,” she said. “I’d rather be higher than lower. It makes me feel like I’m taller than everyone and it makes me feel a lot more confident, being up there and more focused.”
This weekend, Reinhard will compete against the top divers in Canada at the Speedo Junior Development National Championship in Saskatoon, Sask.
She is the only diver from the Fraser Valley to qualify for Team B.C. after winning the one-metre, three-metre and tower events at provincials.
No stranger to the competition, this will be the third time she competes at nationals.
“It’s a lot of stress because you never know what’s going to happen,” Reinhard said.
“Diving against the top divers in Canada can make you really nervous, but you just need to encourage yourself and make sure that you never put yourself down, because that could really make a difference in the way you compete.
“You need to make sure that since you made it there, you do the best you can.”
Reinhard has been jumping off diving boards since she was four years old, and is well aware of the risks involved.
Recently, she learned how to do an inward two-and-a-half jump off a seven-and-a-half metre tall board — a very difficult dive, that if not done properly can result in the athlete smashing their face into the board.
“There’s a lot of things going through your head, like are you going to hit the board? Are you going to get hurt?” Reinhard said.
“You either do get hurt or you don’t get hurt, and usually with me you probably do get hurt.
“But I’m kind of used to it now because I’ve smacked down too many times. To me, it doesn’t bother me much.”
When she isn’t training at the pool, which she does five days a week, Reinhard is volunteering with Learn to Dive, a program to help kids who are afraid of diving learn the sport.
But ultimately, Reinhard wants to be in the Olympics.
“I love diving because it’s me, I can count on myself,” she said.
“It’s about how I dive, not how anybody else dives. It’s just me and I like that a lot. You can focus on you and not anybody else.
“I’ve worked really hard in my training and my dream my whole life is to be in the Olympics.
“I hope that’s going to happen.”
