Alma Smith tops in 3A state diving

Cheney High School's Alma Smith won the state 3A diving championship last week, the first title in the sport for the school.

That was quite a feat in itself, but consider Smith's 338.05 to 316 win over Christopher Sellers from Bishop Blanchet High School came in Cheney's inaugural dip into diving.

"The hardest dive was an inward two and a half somersault," Smith explained of the competition that is very much like whit is seen in the Olympics.

Leading through both the preliminary and semifinal rounds, Smith confessed, "I was a little worried, two divers behind me did really well in the final round," but the numbers he amassed were good enough to stay on top.

Competition consists of 11 dives that add up for a total score. The dives get more difficult the deeper the competition goes. A panel of judges initially score the dive including the form and degree of difficulty.

Cheney head coach Jennifer Hochwalt has been lobbying for several years to have the diving element added to competition. "To have somebody do so well in their first year was very exciting," she said.

Not only was diving new to competition in 2023 but Smith, just a sophomore, has only been in the sport himself since 2021. His path to the title, while short, is also notable in its roots, he said.

"I started when I was on vacation in Oregon and we were at a pool and my aunt suggested that I start diving because I was doing some tricks off the high dive," Smith explained. When he and his mother were back home, they went looking for resources and found the Inland Empire Diving Club.

Smith, living in Spokane at the time, got on his bike - in his swimming suit - and off he went to a local city pool where the club was offering two-week clinics. "It was a little bit embarrassing (riding in his suit) but it was fun," he said.

"I kind of really saw some potential for him to do really well," IE Diving founder and coach Aaron Kilfoyle said. "So, I talked to his parents about joining the club, he came out and we get rocking and rolling." Kilfoyle's club operates out of the Eastern Washington University aquatics facility, which is the only indoor facility with diving boards within 150 miles.

Smith, who attended Ferris as a freshman, now lives in the Cheney school district and has a practice place close by.

Early traveling on his sports path, Smith, who came to diving with a tumbling background, has a solid focus on the future.

"Hopefully I keep the winning streak going," Smith said. Then he's looking to get better and perhaps, attract the eyes of college recruiters? "That's the plan right now," he added.

Smith is not finished with competition with planned future trips to competition in Portland, Oregon. "And then April, I'll be going to a regionals' competition in San Francisco," he said.

While this was a first for the boys, Hochwalt reminded that Cheney's May Peterson won the 100 back-stroke in 3A last year. "Technically, Brigid Dinnen won two events this year for 2A for East Valley," which swims under the Cheney banner Hochwalt added.

Paul Delaney is a retired Free Press Publishing reporter and can be reached at [email protected].