Head first: Pueblo Centennial diver has sights set on state stage
Novalee Ah Yo had to adjust to diving for the Pueblo Centennial High School girls swim and dive team.
Ah Yo has been a gymnast most of her life. While the tumbling element lends itself perfectly to diving, there is one big difference.
“In some dives, you go with head first,” she said. “In gymnastics, you don’t land on your head.”
Ah Yo began diving last year as a sophomore. She narrowly missed qualifying for the Class 4A state swim meet by what she called “a couple of dives.”
Now a junior and the most experienced diver on the team, Ah Yo looks to make the jump to the next level and earn a trip to the state championships.
To get there, Ah Yo said she’s working on her “reverse” dives.
“I missed state by a couple of dives,” she said. “If I had those, I would’ve made it. I’m working on what’s called a reverse dive, where you go forward but you rotate backward.”
Ah Yo said adding reverse dives with higher degrees of difficulty should help her reach her goal of qualifying for state.
She spends time in practice and at duals and meets perfecting the dives.
More:Here are the Pueblo girls swimmers and divers expected to make a splash this season
Outside of the pool, Ah Yo works on her leadership ability.
The junior is a member of Girls Cabinet, National Honor Society and Sources of Strength.
“I think those clubs help me better myself,” Ah Yo said. “It helps me put myself in the right mindset and just be more aware of what I think about and how I feel about certain situations.”
Centennial head coach Camille Arnold said she sees Ah Yo as an emerging leader on the team.
She especially credits her with helping fellow diver Austyn Webb.
“She’s kind of the voice of reason,” Arnold said. “She tells (Webb), ‘Hey, you got this … it’s OK … let’s do this.’ She’s just a calming presence to the other diver and really good at saying, ‘Hey, let’s maybe try it this way or that way.’ So she really leads the other diver.”
Arnold said Ah Yo is helping her learn to be a diving coach, as well.
Typically, Centennial has a coach who specializes in diving. Arnold has had to take on that role as of late.
She said she and Ah Yo work as a team.
“I am a swim coach learning how to coach diving, so she has made my transition easier with having form and knowing points, knowing closing gaps, knowing twists and throws and flips,” Arnold said. “So she's made it easier on me to become a diving coach."
Ah Yo has picked up the sport quickly, Arnold said, and has used her gymnastics background, grit and determination to become one of Pueblo’s top divers.
“It's pretty exciting,” Arnold said.”She's picked it up quickly and she's helped me learn.”
Her team-first mentality has made her helpful in the lanes, too.
“She's really willing to do anything for the team,” Arnold said. “(She’s) not a strong swimmer, but I have to put her in relays when girls are out. It’s not her favorite thing, but she's really willing to do anything for the team.”
Luke Lyons is a freelance reporter. He can be reached via email at lukelyonsfreelance2023@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo Centennial diver Novalee Ah Yo has sights set on state
