The Shawnee Mission Northwest Boys Swim and Dive Team’s season is one month in and well underway. Oftentimes, the smaller dive team is overshadowed by the larger swim team, but diving has its own competitions and unique qualities that separate it from swim.

In diving, athletes compete by executing forward, backward, inward, or reverse rotating dives. These dives can be performed in a variety of positions, such as tuck, pike, or straight body. There are two types of competitions. In a six-dive meet, there is one required dive and five optional dives. In an eleven-dive meet, there are five required dives and six optional dives. Scoring is based on a scale from zero to ten, measured in half point increments.

The Northwest team may be small, but it is making waves this season. “This year we have four divers on our team, all new to diving this year. It has been fun to work with them and they are doing really, really well. We have one diver who has already qualified for state,” said Coach Diana Wood. “It’s going to be a great year and I’m really looking forward to working with both the boys and the girls to achieve their goals for this year.”

There are two more months before Boys Swim and Dive State, and both teams have plenty of time to improve and work toward their goals. Though many people have jumped off the diving boards at their local pool, the video below can provide a better glimpse of what it would be like to dive on the Shawnee Mission Northwest Dive Team.