Fresh crop jumping in…

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This article was published 29/05/2019 (2609 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Call it a springboard to bigger things for many of Manitoba’s finest young divers.

The 2019 Manitoba provincial championships will be held Friday through Sunday at Pan Am Pool. The event wraps up the diving season locally. However, it’s an entry point for competitors to qualify for the junior elite nationals in Montreal in July and junior development nationals in Regina later that month.

It’s also an opportunity for local divers to book a spot on Team Manitoba for the Western Canada Summer Games, slated for Swift Current, Sask., Aug. 9-18.

“This is their last chance to reach those qualifying scores to attend the nationals,” Ken Stevens, executive director of the Manitoba Diving Association, said Wednesday. “I think we’re going to have a great meet this weekend. Our athletes are going to shine.”

When it comes to the local contingent, “young” is the keyword here.

Gone from the local scene are perennial premier competitors such as Aimee Harrison, Mara George and Cam McLean, replaced by a crop of talented up-and-comers — none old enough to drive themselves to the pool — such as Adam Cohen, Leia Berman and Alex Tiaglei.

“We are going through a cycle right now, where we just had several divers competing at the senior national level (retire) out, so we’re starting a whole new generation of divers in Manitoba, with a top-end age of 14 or 15 right now. So, it’s a really young (group), and we’re in the growth stage to develop those future, national-level divers,” Stevens said.

“It’s really exciting, especially when you see some of the levels these young kids are diving at, it’s pretty amazing, and how they’ve progressed over the last two or three years. They’re growing up so quickly and developing so fast, and suddenly, they’re doing these amazing dives off the 10-metre. It’s incredible, and a testament to our great coaches here, too,” he added. “These kids are going to be stars.”

— Jason Bell