Making a splash
Haileybury’s diving teams are savouring plenty of success in the pool.
Haileybury’s diving teams are going from strength to strength, most recently at the highly competitive APS Combined Diving meet at MSAC in Melbourne.
The Haileybury Boys team came an impressive second in the APS Boys competition overall and scored 146 points, finishing just behind St Kevin’s College with 163 points.
Meanwhile, the girls team finished third overall with 135 points in the APS Girls Combined Diving competition, with young diver, Ashley (Year 7) finishing third in the Under 14A Division.
This caps off a successful 2024 summer sport season, with both the girls and boys diving teams achieving some inspiring performances — including several personal best efforts — throughout their meets.
Year 10 student Frank won first place in the Under 16 3 metre A Division while Henry (Year 9) took second place in the Boys Under 15A Division.
Frank has been diving for six years and chose the sport for its physical and mental challenges. In April, he also competed at the International Youth Diving meet in Dresden, Germany — one of the biggest international events for junior diving.
“Many European, American and Asian countries compete but it was my first ever international event. My aim was to learn from other countries and athletes by observing how they go about their competitions and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to represent my country and my school”Frank (Year 10)
“My ultimate goal is to win medals internationally and to represent Australia and Haileybury at the World Championships, Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games.
Henry first took the plunge at Haileybury in Year 7 and devotes 16 hours a week to honing his diving skills.
“I enjoy testing myself and my body, and I like the feeling of accelerating through the air from the platforms. After graduating from Haileybury, I hope to continue my academic and diving career at an American university”Henry (Year 9)
Other students who achieved excellent results were: Luis (3rd) Under 17A, Liam (3rd) in the Boys Open 3 metre Diving A Division, Tommas (2nd) Under 16B, Patrick (2nd) in the Boys Open 3 metre Diving B Division, and Addison (4th) Under 17B.
William (3rd) Under 14A, Oliver (2nd) Under 14B, and Ben (3rd) Under 15B all made their impressive APS debuts.
“These were amazing results, and the diving team has gone from strength to strength in recent years,” says Head of Diving (Boys) and 1st Team Manager, Jason Ellul.
“Since then, the team has gone about rebuilding, developing and welcoming new students. We’ve fostered a strong community feeling within our sport. I’m immensely proud of what the team has achieved this year, and I am very excited about how far they might go next season!”
The Haileybury Girls team are also creating waves in the diving pool with some inspiring talent coming through the ranks.
“Ashley was part of our Diving Development Squad and half-way through the season this year, the coaches decided she was ready to join our 1st team. She performed extremely well on APS Finals Day, and this has been a great first season of diving for her,” says Briony Pepper, Head of Diving (Girls) and 1st Team Manager.
Ashley, who is in Year 7 at Castlefield, is a gymnast who decided to try diving because she thought it looked like it would be fun.
“I feel amazing after performing a great dive. I’m hoping to get better and better and to have more dives in the next couple of years”Ashley (Year 7)
Mimi is also part of the Haileybury Girls Diving team and earned fifth place in the Girls Open 3 metre Diving A Division. She began diving in 2021 and is currently in Year 12.
“I was inspired to start diving after watching a friend dive for several years. I have a background in gymnastics, and I thought diving would be a fun sport to do with a great community of students,” says Mimi.
Other achievers in the pool were: Zoe (3rd) Girls Under 14B, Zahara (5th) Girls Under 15B, Lily (4th) Under 15A, Maya (2nd) Under 16B, Olivia (2nd) Under 16A, Makenzie (4th) Under 17B and Sophia (5th) Under 17A.
Brianna (Year 12) earned second place in the Girls Open 3 metre Diving B Division.
Diving is one of around 30 sports available to Haileybury students from Years 7 to 12.
