By VIVIEN QUATTRONE
As senior Cinzia Calabreta jumps off of the platform, she twists and flips before splashing into the water. When she came up for air and the judges announced her score, the applause was deafening. At the Lake Brantley Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 18, Calabreta placed first, beating other top divers from around the state.
At her father’s suggestion, Calabreta began diving at seven, after he watched her continually diving into their new pool. With her passion for the sport and 10 years of competitive diving experience, Calabreta is ranked the number one diver in Florida.
“Diving helps me stay in shape and not contribute to obesity in America. It teaches me self-determination and discipline. It gives me a healthy competitive spirit,” Calabreta.
Over the summer, Calabreta trained extensively. She trained two times a day, five days a week in addition to weight training. Of the 73 days of summer, Calabreta was out of state for 31 of them participating in six competitions.
“[The last competition I participated in was] summer senior nationals at Texas A&M. I was exposed to the college diving world where I was recruited by Ohio State. I already knew a lot of the reps there because diving is such a small world but it gave me an incentive to do well,” Calabreta said.
In the future, Calabreta hopes to win the NCAA championship and become an All-American diver. She also hopes to make the world team and graduate with honors from college.