It was a productive trip to Regina at the annual Novice Nations Springboard and Platform Competition for five divers from the Langley-based Fraser Valley Spring board and Platform Diving Club that trains out of the Walnut Grove pool.
The divers, between the ages of 11 and 16 came home from the end-of-May competition with seven medals, including two golds, three silvers, and two bronze medals, as well as a number of top eight finishes.
“This group of girls performed really well,” said coach Gregory Cox. “It’s really motivating to train hard all season and see that hard work pay off.”
Ella Davidson, 16, led the medal push with a first place medal in both the one metre and three-metre events, competing against girls ages 16 through 18. She capped it off with a second place finish in the three-metre synchro event with her partner Kaya Kenyon, 15, who finished third in the 14-15 year-old platform event, as well as a 4th and 7th in her three-metre and one-metre events, respectively.
Sarah Butt, 14, recorded a second and third place finish on the 1 metre and three-metre boards, respectively. With her synchro partner, Hattie Aldag, they finished fourth. Aldag, also 14, finished eighth in both her one metre and three-metre events.
The youngest of the group, Emily Smith, 11, finished fifth and sixth in one metre and three metre events respectively, an impressive finish after one year in the sport.
“They all have even bigger aspirations in the sport,” said Cox. “Hopefully we can carry the same sort of success into next season.”
Cox started coaching with the dive club early this year and will take over as head coach leading into the 2019 season, replacing Kelly Dee who’s been with the team for seven years.
“I’m really excited about the potential this club has,” Cox said. “Kelly has done a great job developing these athletes and it should be an exciting season.”
