By JOSHUA McKINNEY, Staff Writer
It wasn’t a great feeling when Thadey Diaz found out she finished second in the girls 1-meter diving competition at the Region VIII-6A swimming & diving meet.
“I was a little disappointed in myself but I used that as (motivation) moving forward and getting better,” Diaz said.
Diaz finished with a 329.10 points, less than 14 behind regional winner Patricia Rocha de Murga of McAllen Memorial.
She had high expectations, considering she was meet’s defending champion in the event, but won’t let herself get down. It was only Diaz’s second regional meet.
The sophomore diver is sometimes surprised by how well she does at times but knows she’s capable of even more.
“I have so much potential, where I don’t even know how far I’ll go,” Diaz said. “But my coach really helps me out. He knows what I can do and really coaches me.”
Ray Martinez, Lopez’s swimming & diving coach, thinks a top-10 finish is within reach for Diaz, who finished 15th out of 16 divers at state last year.
“Ideally of course, we want her to win the gold medal,” Martinez said. “But realistically, we’re thinking if she can be in the top 10 that will be a great accomplishment for her as a sophomore.”
What stands out about the young diver is her ability to keep composed in a big environment like the state meet.
Martinez says Diaz is capable of taking care of business in high-pressure situations.
“One of the things that I’m really impressed with today and last year as a freshman and this year, her composure and her attitude, the way she acts,” Martinez said. “Nothing scares her. She’s calm. Last year as a freshman when she competed, she was going up against a lot of upperclassmen and I was able to notice that those divers were (a little nervous). She didn’t show it. If she’s nervous or any of that, I can read it. She takes care of what she needs to take care off. She has a good way of hiding. She doesn’t show any fear.”
Diaz gets some of her inspiration to dive from her older sister, Ednie Diaz, who was also a diver at Lopez.
There is a little bit of a sibling rivalry, but her sister is one of her biggest fans.
“Sometime she comes to my practices and tells me what to fix, and tries to help me learn new dives,” Diaz said.
What really helps with her form and ability to control her body is experience in dance and gymnastics.
These sports require a good deal of physical control, flexibility and timing, all of which ties in with Diaz’ diving routine.
“The type of discipline you have to have to be a dancer, it also contributes to making her a well-rounded athlete and as far as concentrating and being able to perform. She loves to perform in front of people. When she’s diving she’s the only one, as opposed to being in an group in dancing or in gymnastics, you’re also one person trying to do your presentation.
“She’s been prepared since she was a little girl, because ever since then she’s been doing that. Now’s it’s become second nature when performing the dives that she does.”
Joshua McKinney covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @joshuabvherald.