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Devils Dive To Clean Sweep

CHRIS HOFFMAN/Highlands Today

Avon Park's Miguel Ortiz competes at the Class 1A-District 5 diving meet Monday at Winter Haven.

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By Christopher  Hoffman | Highlands Today

Published: October 16, 2007

The Rowdy Gaines Pool in Winter Haven flowed red on Monday –– Red Devil red, to be exact.

Seniors Miguel Ortiz and Heather Barnes lived up to their billing, taking top honors in the Class 1A-District 5 tournament, while Red Devil sophomore John Chittum surprised many by earning second place in the boys division.

Ortiz left no doubt he's going to be a force in the upcoming Region 2 meet, performing one picture-perfect dive after another to finish with a nine-dive total of 367.25, while Chittum finished with 315.25 and Caleb Hardy of Frostproof rounded out the top three with a 298.85.

"My goal all year was to not only make it to state, but to be competitive at state," Ortiz said. "I've been undefeated all season and I have worked to raise the level of difficulty of my dives.
"This is just the first step to my goal."

Barnes was another favorite in the girls diving tourney, but her title didn't come without some drama.
During her inward 1 ½, Barnes came extremely close to the diving board and she came out of the pool visibly shaken by the close call.

"I was so close that my pony tail actually hit the board," Barnes said during the break. "I was freaked out for three dives after that, but I was finally able to get mentally back into it and pull it together."
Barnes, who is also a star on the Red Devil softball team and has a verbal commitment to play for the Stetson Hatters next fall, will be making her first appearance in the regional finals. Last year, she qualified for the event, but had to bow out due to prior commitments.

This year, Barnes has the opportunity and the ability to be a major factor in the upcoming meets.
"She has committed herself to taking this time to focus on diving," said Avon Park dive coach Shane Wiries. "I know her bread and butter is softball, but she has so much natural ability and this is probably her last chance to shine in the pool."

Wires was all smiles when asked about his up-and-coming sophomore.

"John [Chittum] had some big shoes to fill when he came here this year," Wires said. "I was worried he wasn't going to be able to fill Miguel's shoes, since he is graduating. But he has stepped up and far exceeded even my expectations."

Chittum has been gradually improving throughout the course of the season, mastering one dive after another until he has an arsenal of dives that rival even Ortiz at the same age.

"He came out of nowhere," Oritz said. "It's fun to watch him dive and he is hungry to learn. He's way better than I was at his age."

The tight-knit AP dive team embraced when the winners were announced, especially when Chittum –– unaware if he had made it or not –– heard that he would be competing in his first regional tournament.
"I was hoping for it," Chittum said. "Today, I just felt like it was my day for me. When I nailed the back 1 ½ with a 1/2, I came closer to the board, and from that moment on, I knew I had it."

The district wins are just a warm up for the Avon Park divers, who have been working all season to get a chance to compete at the highest level and against the best in the state.

"These kids are going to have to take it to an even higher level when we get to regionals and state," Wires said. "They will be competing against the kids from prep schools that train all year long and have the best equipment and coaches that money can buy. They just have to stay focused and know that they belong there."

The Red Devil divers will next be in the pool for the Region 2 tournament, which will be held at Lake Highland Prep in Orlando on Oct. 27 at 9 a.m. The Avon Park swim team, along with Lake Placid, competes in the swimming portion of the district meet this morning.

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