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| 06-16-2004 | Previous edition: 06-14-2004 |
        
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Printer-friendly version Purdue diver makes it to finals of U.S. Olympic TrialsBy Molly McClureSummer Reporter Competing in the U.S. Olympic Trials has always been the dream of one Purdue diver, but when her dream became reality last week there was one aspect of it she hadn’t anticipated — the security. Carrie McCambridge, junior in the School of Liberal Arts, said, "The atmosphere was really different. There were tons of police and we had escorts and everyone was searched and had to go through metal detectors." Last week McCambridge advanced to the finals of the 2004 U.S. Diving Olympic Team Trials, which were held at the St. Peters Rec-Plex in St. Peters, Mo. She earned 458.34 points in the preliminary and semifinal rounds of 3-meter springboard, qualifying her for 12th place, just enough to move on to the finals in which only the top 12 finishers competed. In the finals she earned 270.42 points for a total of 728.76. "I knew that I didn’t really have much of a shot, but I really wanted to final," McCambridge said. "I had a really good meet and I was just really happy with the way that I performed." A TV broadcast of the finals showed a group of women who seemed to wish each other well, despite competing against each other for only two tickets to Athens. "The diving world is really small and most of the divers are really good friends, so everyone just wants to dive their best," McCambridge said. "The friendships also make it not really a hostile environment. It’s pretty friendly." McCambridge, who listens to country music in between dives to keep her mind relaxed and off the competition, and her coach were pleased with her performance at the trials, especially because she didn’t have time to fully rehearse all of her dives beforehand. There is a degree of difficulty requirement at the trials, McCambridge said. "I had to learn a new dive in January and five or six months just isn’t enough time to have your dive competitively ready. Dives take years to get them to an elite level." Wenbo Chen, diving coach, said he thought McCambridge did well despite not being quite ready for the trials. "I’m really happy with what she did," he said. Chen said competing in the trials was beneficial for McCambridge. "It will actually help her a lot," he said. Competing against the best in the sport will make her gain more confidence in her dives, which will help when she goes back to the Big Ten and NCAA. He thinks being in the trials will help McCambridge a lot mentally in coming years. Next, McCambridge will start training for nationals, which take place at the end of the summer in Los Angeles, and although she’s hesitant about discussing what comes after that, Chen isn’t. "We’re looking forward to the 2008 Olympic Games," he said. Printer-friendly version |
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