April 14, 2008
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri Diving Club, in conjunction with the University of Missouri Student Recreation Center, is proud to be hosting USA Diving's 2008 West National Diving Championships, April 25-27. The event will take place at the Mizzou Aquatics Center, the home of Tiger men and women's swimming & diving.
Three hundred of the United States' most elite youth divers will congregate in Columbia, Mo., to battle for National titles on 1-meter and 3-meter springboards. USA Diving teams from California, Indiana and Texas will bring a wealth of talent and stiff competition to the pool deck. Athletes compete in four age groups: 11 and under, 13 and under, 14-15 and 16-18. Participating athletes qualified for the National competition by placing in the top six at regional competitions held in March.
Three local divers have earned their place at Nationals and are excited to compete in such a large event at their home pool. Ashley Shelton, of Ashland, MO will compete in the 14-15 age group on both 1-meter and 3-meter springboards. This is her second appearance at a national level competition. Having increased the difficulty of her dives in the past year, Shelton has the ability to capture a personal best and earn big scores with the beauty of her diving. Christian Head, of Columbia, Mo., brings experience to this meet as it is his fourth appearance at a national event. In his last year of 13 and under competition, Head has learned several new dives, including a front 2 ½ somersaults on 3-meter and a back 1 ½ somersaults on 1-meter. He too, seeks a personal best and is eager to showcase his skills in front of a home crowd. Recently invited into USA Diving's Olympic Medal Program, David Bonuchi, of Columbia, Mo., looks to defend his National titles on 1-meter and 3-meter springboards. Although this is Bonuchi's first year in the 16-18 age group, he approaches this meet like any other, with confidence and his eyes set on gold. Look for big dives and big scores from Bonuchi, as he will be the diver to beat in each of the men's competitions. Shelton, Head and Bonuchi train with the Missouri Diving Club, a local USA Diving program coached by Amy Gosney and James Sweeney.
This meet kicks off a string of USA Diving events to be held in Columbia over the next three months. The Region V championships will be held in June and the Zone C Championships are scheduled for July. As the 2008 summer Olympics draw near, the Missouri Diving Club, USA Diving and the University of Missouri are proud to promote an Olympic sport among youth on both local and national levels.
This month's competition will begin Friday, April 25 at 12 p.m. and 9 a.m. both Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27. The general public is welcome and admission is free. For more information on this meet, local diving opportunities or upcoming diving events, please contact Amy Gosney, Head Coach of the Missouri Diving Club at missouridivingclub@yahoo.com.