Diving Training

After getting my new laptop from Lenovo and Flip-cam (thanks Lenovo!), I wanted to try it all out. Lenovo were kind enough to give me a laptop in return for post blogs in the lead up to the Olympics. To see other athlete blogs click on the Lenovo button on the left. Anyway so I took the Flip-cam to training this morning to film a little bit of harness.

Olympic Countdown - 36 days

With only 36 days till the start of the 2008 Beijing Olympic, the countdown is definately on! We depart for Beijing in early August, and I can't wait. My dad and sister will be coming to Beijing to cheer me on, which will be awesome.

On the 27th of May I was announced as a member of the Australian Olympic Diving Team. The team includes: Alex Croak, Mathew Helm, Matthew Mitcham, Chantelle Newbery, Robert Newberry, Scott Robertson, Sharleen Stratton, Melissa Wu and me. Hui Tong, Xiangning Chen and Chava Sobrino will be the coaches.

The Beijing Olympics will be my first Olympics and I can’t wait for the Olympics to begin. I will be competiting in my two favourite events: Women's 3m Synchronised with Sharleen Stratton and the Women's 10m Synchronised with Melissa Wu.

Diving Grand Prix - Rostock, Germany

Last week the Australia Olympic Diving Team headed off to Rostock, Germany for the German leg of the FINA Grand Prix. It’s a long way to Rostock, three flights and a 2 hour bus ride, all up 35 hours of travelling.
We had a few days of training before competition started. My first event was the Women’s 10m Synchronised with Melissa. The competition was going well, until I over rotated on my inward 3.5 somersault, so in the end we finished 4th. Not a great result, it just means I need to focus on that kick out so the same mistake won’t happen at the Olympics.
The next day was the Women’s 3m Synchronised with Sharleen. We both dove well, with great synchro. We finished 2nd behind the German’s, who were only 2 points ahead of us. It was a good result but disappointing as we were so close to winning.

On our last night in Germany, we caught the train to Warnemunde, which is right on the Baltic Sea. We ate dinner near the Alte Strom (Old Chanel), and went for a walk by the sea, past the lighthouse and Teepott.

Then it was a bus ride and three flights home. I did meet Pete Murray at Frankfurt Airport, which was great, he was lovely.

So now it’s lots of training and fine tuning between now and August. Less than 60 days till the Olympics begin!

Diving Grand Prix in Montreal, Canada and Ft. Lauderdale, USA

On the 27th of April I was off to North America to compete in the Canadian and American legs of the FINA Diving Grand Prix. These competitions were crucial to my Australian Olympic selection, which made me nervous and excited.
After three long flights we finally arrived at Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix meet, we had a couple days of training to get familiar with the pool and to get over the jetlag. There were divers from over 15 countries competing in this event, including many Olympic and World Championship medallists.
My first event was on the 3rd of May and it was Women’s 3m Synchronised with Sharleen Stratton. Sharleen and I dove very well to finish in 2nd place and scoring 303.18 points.

The next day Melissa and I competed in the Women’s 10m Synchronised event. We finished 2nd, with a personal best score of 351.96, only 4 points behind the Chinese pair who are ranked number 1 in the world. We beat the Canadian pair who came 2nd at the World Cup in February, it was a great achievement to beat them especially in Canada. Dean Pullar with Mel and me just before medal ceremony.

As my results with Sharleen and Melissa met all selection requirements, Diving Australia will nominate Sharleen and me to the Australia Olympic Committee for Olympic selection in the Women’s 3m Synchronised event, and nominate Melissa and me for Olympic selection in the Women’s 10m Synchronised event.
After the competitions in Montreal we were off to sunny Fort Lauderdale for the American leg of the Grand Prix. The pool in Fort Lauderdale is outdoors, which is lots of fun but always challenging as we never train outdoors, so we never normally have to deal with the windy, rain and sun.
My first event in Fort Lauderdale was on the 9th of May and it was the Women’s 3m Synchronised with Sharleen. We dove good in a tough field to come in 3rd place with a score of 303.96.

The next day was Women’s 10m Synchronised with Melissa, this event was very challenging as it is very windy up on the 10m. We dealt with conditions very well, to finish in 2nd place and scored 325.80 points.

From my four competitions in Canada and America I came home with three silvers and a bronze, which I’m very happy with. Below is the Aussie team at the pool and then done up all nice for the cruise.

The next step in my Olympic selection is for Diving Australia to nominate me to the Australian Olympic Committee, from there the team will be officially announced on the 27th of May!