Having redshirted the past season to get physically stronger,
senior Amanda Blong looked at the Speedo U.S. Open Diving
Championships as her focus meet, marking her return to collegiate
competition. Unfortunately, when Blong hurt her shoulder over
winter break, the injury took her slightly off course.
Now, with the championships just a week behind her, Blong is
happy to be competing again. However, she admits feeling slightly
frustrated with her performances.
At the meet early last week, Blong competed for UCLA diving in
the 1m and 3m. After placing 15th in the 1m qualifying rounds,
Blong earned a spot diving at the US Open Championships where she
placed 26th with 179.65 points.
“I feel a little disappointed, but I am
excited to have a starting point,†she said.
“I forgot how nerve-racking competing
is.â€
Head coach Tom Stebbins agrees the meet did not go quite as he
expected.
“Amanda’s 1m and 3m
performances were real steady. They just were not
great,†he said.
Although she had some soreness in her shoulder, Blong felt no
other physical pain after the long week of diving.
“It was nice for her to knock some of the rust
off,†Stebbins said. “Amanda is
climbing back from her injury.â€
The meet was a test that Blong prepared for all year. Now she is
able to look at her results and assess where she stands heading
into her final season of eligibility. One thing Blong realizes is
that she wants to do more cardio and get in better shape. Also, she
recognizes that some of her techniques need to be improved.
“Basically I have one dive for the 3m that I
know needs some work,†Blong said.
The other competing diver from UCLA, freshman Tess Schofield,
placed 10th in the platform at the semifinals. That performance
allowed her to also dive at the championship meet where she placed
7th on platform with record points.
“Tess was so solid today,â€
Stebbins said after Schofield’s final day of
diving. “I’m real happy with
where she is. Her final platform dive was by far her best lift of
all.â€
The championship meet was Schofield’s last
collegiate competition of the season.
“I felt really good about the
meet,†she said. “It was nice that
all my hard work paid off.â€
While Schofield expected to qualify for the US Open, she was
pleasantly surprised by her final platform performance where she
earned a personal best by 20 points.