THUNDER BAY – SPORTS – Three members of the Thunder Bay Diving Club will attend the Ontario Spring Provincial Championships in London this weekend. It is the second of three annual provincial championships each season and will set the tone for the rest of the season.
“We’re halfway through the season now, so the Spring Provincials will help guide us”, said head coach Jason Napper. “Our divers’ performance here will help us shape their training plans going forward. The goal is to qualify for the Junior National Championships in July.”
Minimum point standards are needed to qualify for the Junior Nationals, and all three athletes attending London need their scores. 10-year-old Michael Doerr was the top male diver in the province last season for his age, but the placing isn’t as important as the performance. “Mike is already partially qualified for the nationals; I think he’s capable of adding more qualifying scores this weekend”, said Napper.
Abbey Meloche is in her second year of the 16-18 age group. She placed 10thlast year in the platform event at the Junior Nationals and aims to qualify again. She is known for her clean entries into the water, called a ‘rip’ entry, for the sound it makes. Both Doerr and Meloche will compete in the 1m and 3m springboard events, as well as the platform event.
Christopher Lake-Voros is in his final year of the 16-18 age group. He is returning from an injury that sidelined him since mid-November. In the last few weeks, Lake-Voros has been healthy enough to regain his 3m springboard event. “After the Spring Provincials we’ll work towards Chris getting his 1m and platform events back as well”, said Napper. “It’s good to see him back.”
The three-day competition begins on Friday, with ten clubs from across the province in attendance.
Hope to see you out on the pool deck soon. “Celebrating 37 years of Building Friendships, Building Champions”
