Bernatskys strike gold in the pool

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This article was published 10/06/2024 (839 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

From young athletes just starting their careers to veteran competitors, the Dive Manitoba summer provincials made a sizable splash this past weekend.

With 111 divers from eight clubs from across Canada participating in 73 events, the meet brought the best out of athletes ranging from the novice to master levels at Pan Am Pool.

Zita Bernatsky, 16, continued to make a name for herself in the sport after winning the girls 16-18 platform and three-metre events, which had competitors from Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton, and Montréal fighting for gold.

“This season I really focused on getting all my dives nice and consistent,” Bernatsky told the Free Press on Monday. “So that really led up to a good competition season.

“In competition you only get one chance. So I can’t always have my best dive, but being able to put those best dives down in a more stressful environment with other people and only having one chance to do it. Well, it just felt really great.”

It’s going to be a busy summer for Bernatsky, who will compete in the Junior Elite National Diving Championships in Saskatoon (July 4-7) and in the Junior and Senior National Trials for High Diving in Fort Lauderdale (Aug. 2-4).

Her 18-year-old brother, Attila Bernatsky, finished on a high note, winning the Men’s Open one-metre, three-metre and platform events. Attila, who has been working with his coach Dallas Ludwick since he was 12, drilled his final dive in the Men’s three-metre event in what was the the last competition on Sunday and his swan song with Revolution Diving.

The teen, who performed well on the three-metre springboard and 10-metre platform events, will be heading to the University of Utah on a diving scholarship in the fall.

Leia Berman had an unfortunate ending to her diving season this year after suffering a shoulder injury at a competition in Regina last month. It’s not how the 17-year-old would have wanted to finish her time with Revolution Diving, but Berman still contributed at the provincials, acting as official announcer for various events and cheering on her teammates over the weekend.

“It’s definitely different when you’re not competing in it,” said Berman. “I just got to see it from a different point of view and I got to learn more from that.”

She will also head south in the fall to continue her education and athletic career at the University of Illinois with an NCAA Scholarship.

“(Revolution Diving) has been like another family,” said Berman. “Everybody’s just so close and so supportive. Every day I’m excited to come to the pool and get to train with everybody.

Nicolas Landry and Gabriel Brombach are part of the next generation of Revolution Diving and had strong showings.

Landry, the 12-year-old diver who was sidelined most of the diving season after a knee injury from soccer, made quite a comeback to compete in the provincials. After getting the green light to begin training again three weeks ago, Landry rapidly progressed, managing to put together a complete program of dives on the platform.

Landry, the 2023 Junior National Champion, ended up achieving second place in his event and made a qualifying score for nationals.

“It felt pretty good,” said Landry. “I was just really happy to be back. I have been diving for so long, so it’s just like a habit for me.”

Brombach, 12, won his boys 12-13 platform and springboard events over the weekend. The young diver was the Junior National Champion in the boys U-11 category last year in Montreal. He will hope to continue his diving success in the Junior Development National Championships in Regina. (July 19-21)

On the veteran side, masters diver Joanne Hutlet is an experienced member of Revolution Diving and has been a part of countless Manitoba Provincial Championships. Hutlet used this year’s provincials to prepare for a masters-level competition in Trinidad next month. She will compete in Trinidad next month in a masters event.

zoe.pierce@freepress.mb.ca