As we dive into the new school year, the Flour Bluff swimming and diving team has been working hard as they strive for their third straight region title. For diving, they have something brand new and very exciting.
When the new swimming facility took its first splash at the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year, a diving well was introduced for divers to practice and get ready for diving meets. The first person to do so was Rebecca Hudson. Last year was the first time Hudson has competed in diving. Amazingly, she made it all the way to the UIL Swimming and Diving State Meet.
“I have to give all the props to swimmer and team mate, Anmarie Wallet, who didn’t take it too seriously,” said Hudson. “But one day I checked it out and I fell in love with it as soon as I started it.”
The new 13 ½ foot diving well is very having coaches and the players excited about it.
“It gives us a huge advantage,” said Flour Bluff Head Swim Coach Bryan Hutchinson. “This whole facility does in general and with opening the diving portion we still have the shallow end and five lanes as go far as training. Therefore, the swimmers and divers train at the same time.”
Alongside Coach Hutchinson is Diving Coach Dan Murphy. Coach Murphy comes to Flour Bluff with a vast experience of coaching swim and dive. His experience includes helping collegiate and professional divers all across the state.
”I enjoy working for Flour Bluff and the kids,” said Murphy. “The students here are great.”
For Rebecca Hudson the dive well is definitely a plus.
“The new dive well is seriously such a blessing,” Hudson said. “The whole pool has been one of the factors to this year’s amazing success for the whole team. We are all so thankful to the fact the school was able to gift us with that. A big thank you to Flour Bluff.”
The Natatorium was approved by voters during a Bond election in 2014. Prior to the new facility, the swim team used the pool at the Wranoski Gym. In addition, the team would also utilize the Corpus Christi Natatorium. Many times it was difficult to schedule time at the Corpus Christi Natatorium due to the use of the pools by the swim teams from the Corpus Christi ISD high schools. The dive well at the Wranoski was not sufficient for athletes to practice. It was only 9 feet long and too shallow for athletes to safely use.
Now with a new district-run state-of-the-art swimming facility, our athletes have more practice time to prepare for swim meets. In addition, divers have a sufficient size diving well to perfect their dive executions.
The new diving well will provide a bright future for Flour Bluff diving team to continue to dive deep.