by Ben Kouchnerkavich
Holland, Mich.--Proclaiming himself the “best diver at Holland High
School,” sophomore Erick Ramirez sat down for an interview with the HNT Daily
on Thursday afternoon regarding his achievements.
Erick first started diving in 7th grade. He
became interested in the sport because in the summer time, he liked diving for fun at the
Holland Aquatic Center and at Bouws Pool.
“Diving for school is really exciting,” he said. “[I like]
being part of the team and the meets.”
In fact, he wants to continue diving throughout his entire
high school career.
So what are his thoughts on that bleached hair of his?
“It’s a big personal decision,” he said. “The team does it
every year so when you do it, it’s a big decision that you have to
make. You want to feel part of the team because everyone else does it.”
Tyler Simmons is the only other diver along with Erick.
Describing his teammate, Erick said, “We work pretty well
with each other. We are always supportive of each other in meets. It’s really
nerve-wracking [for both of us because] everybody’s watching you. [We just
remember to] worry about the next dive on our lists more than the one we’ve
already done.”
As for injuries, he has smacked this year, but not as much
as in previous years. At the beginning of the season, he was out of the game
for a while after bouncing on the board. He somehow managed to hit the board
four times, hitting his hips, arms, and legs.
Recently, he was learning a new dive, which is a reverse one
and a half in the tucked position.
“I over-rotated and landed on my front in a cannonball face
first in the water,” he described. “It hurt. My face didn’t hurt as much as my
feet, which were bruised for a couple days. When you smack, it’s really
painful. When you hit the water with flat feet, it’s like someone took a razor
blade and took the first layer of skin off your feet. And when you smack on
your side, it turns red and hurts more than getting hit by a meter stick.”
“When in an environment with other schools,” he
continued, “You’re proud of yourself and representing the team in competition with other schools. The feeling of winning is one of the best feelings ever.”
For diving, workouts are called Dryland. It consists of arm
exercises, a lot of stretching, and mostly abdominal exercises.
“It takes a lot of time,” he said.
But to the continuously achieving Erick, it’s worth it.
