From: Vol. 2, Issue 11, March 15-21, 2007



By Eric Cummings

San Clemente Times



Diver Kelsey Heiken is making a name for herself and the Tritons



She’s as unlikely a sports star on the San Clemente High School campus as a fencer might be, because her sport of choice, diving, can’t even be practiced on campus—the school’s pool doesn’t have a diving board. And last year as a freshman, she broke onto the scene in a big way by winning CIF. Kelsey Heiken isn’t your typical sports star, but that hasn’t stopped her from becoming one of the Triton’s most accomplished athletes.



Last year, Heiken won the CIF Southern Section Division 1 Championships in diving. Her phenomenal performance came in spite of her young age—it was her first year in high school and she was just 14—and a bigger obstacle: San Clemente High School doesn’t have a diving program. Program or not, Heiken’s dominating performance at least year’s CIF is putting diving back in San Clemente’s athletic arsenal.



“She did a phenomenal job as a freshman,” says Curt Wilson, her personal coach and the head diving coach at UC Irvine. “It is rare, rare, rare for a freshman to win CIF.” Heiken took an early lead with a reverse two-and-a-half (also called a gainer, a dive where the diver launches herself from the board and does two-and-a-half summersaults before splashing head first into the water). “I got 8.5 out of 10 and that put me into first place,” says Heiken. “I figured I had a chance to win and that really motivated me. Once I got over the shock of winning CIF, it felt really good.” After winning the CIF Southern Section title, Heiken went on to take third place in the CIF Masters tournament.



Perhaps the only thing not unusual about Heiken’s performance last year is how quickly she accomplished so much. Since she began diving six years ago, Heiken has always pushed the envelope in terms of what she can do. Heiken is a member of the Crown Valley Divers, a local diving club that practices daily at the YMCA in Laguna Niguel and travels throughout the West Coast and the United States for competitions. “She has always been an amazing athlete, no matter what she has done,” says Kelsey’s mom, Donna. Before becoming a diver, Heiken competed as a figure skater and gymnast before she took up diving. “Divers start out as novices and then work up to the Junior Olympic level,” says Donna. “She was a J.O. [Junior Olympian] in [one] year when it normally takes three. She just wanted to do the hard stuff.” Heiken is a four-time national qualifier for the U.S. Diving Junior Olympics and won third place in her age group in the Amateur Athletic Union, or AAU, national championships. She was also named a high school All-American after her CIF victory.



Motivating Heiken is her love of the sport and everything it has given her. “It’s a lot of fun and an escape from stress and school,” she says. “When I was younger, I just enjoyed the thrill of it.” Heiken’s love of the sport only grew as she developed close friendships with the other divers at Crown Valley Divers and on opposing teams. “I met my best friend through diving, and I have friends across the country.” In addition to friends, she gets to travel with her club team. Last December she went to an international meet in Montreal, with divers from Cuba, England and Spain.



Heiken is motivated to keep learning lessons from diving. “There are a lot of times when you get hurt, but it taught me to get back up and try again,” says Heiken, whose injuries include hitting her foot so hard on the cement platform that her foot swelled for a week or smacking the water hard enough to get bruises and welts on her skin. Along with injuries has come perseverance over fear. “Usually when I’m scared, I block out the feelings of fear and let my muscle memory take over,” she says.



Heiken’s performance can be seen as a rustication of Triton diving of old. In the past San Clemente High School had one of the best diving programs around, but that came to a halt when South Coast League officials decided to remove it from league competitions more than 20 years ago. The only time Heiken competes for the Tritons is in CIF meets, and Bandaruk is happy to have her. “We’ve been so lucky because we don’t see divers often,” he says. “Kelsey has a humility, which is rare.”