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Olivia

Freshman year is the time for diving into new activities and discovering where your passions lie. For freshman Kallyn Torgler, the swim and dive team was an unexpected but welcomed surprise.

“The seniors [encouraged me] to join the team,” Torgler said. “I knew them from cheer.”

Torgler was drawn in by the team atmosphere of the sport. In that aspect, Torgler felt that the dive team had a similar feel to her familiar cheer squad. However, unlike with cheer, Torgler was faced with being the only freshman on the swim and dive team. 

“To be honest, being the only one was very embarrassing,” Torgler said.

Additionally, this was Torgler’s first time diving. Nevertheless, she was able to overcome the challenges and perform well overall.

“[The season] was good, but I didn’t get to compete much because there weren’t many events for a while,” Torgler said.

The lack of events due to COVID may be a familiar story, but it didn’t discourage the diving team from making the most out of their season. The limitations caused by the pandemic were not as restrictive, allowing for the team to experience a somewhat normal season.

“We just had to have less people,” Torgler said. “We also had to wear masks most of the time before we got in the water.”

The unique season and year also allowed Torgler to relate to the upperclassmen on her team. Eventually, she was able to get past being the only freshman and truly feel a part of the group.

“I felt included,” Torgler said. “There weren’t many people on the team, which helped. [There were] only five of us.”

This unexpected experience has allowed Torgler to grow in countless ways and feel confident in a sport that she now plans to continue in the future. On top of her newly found diving skills, she will also take away life lessons that go beyond the pool.

“This [season] showed me how to get more involved,” Torgler said. “It gave me a way to meet new people.”