A sport which requires discipline, patience and talent-the diving team here at Adams – has a legacy of talent and hard-working athletes. This year, the legacy continues by the team’s sole member, senior Eric Rossio.

Rossio’s diving career began long before his freshman year. In seventh grade, he began diving through Legacy Diving, a competitive USA diving club. Rossio’s first experiences as a competitive diver were with Legacy. Throughout his years as a team member, he competed at meets across the state, at places such as Michigan State University and Western Michigan University.

Rossio’s career on the Adams Diving team began his freshman year, when he dove with four other divers. Over the years, the number of fellow divers depleted until this year, when he was the only one left.

His rigorous practice schedule demonstrates the commitment and passion he has for the sport, as well as his hard-working, dedicated attitude.  

“We practiced two hours a day on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays,  with the occasional Saturday practice,” said Rossio.

Rossio was also faced with a unique circumstance at practices. He practiced with Stoney Creek’s sole diver, junior Jakob Heberling, and experienced a lack of coaching availability. Although from rivaling schools, Rossio felt they were not opponents, but rather close teammates and friends.

“He was a great teammate and an even better diver, who drove me to improve every time I got on the boards,” said Rossio.

This year, Rossio placed seventeenth at counties and fourth at regionals, qualifying him for the state meet at Eastern Michigan University, wherein he finished in thirteenth place.

At states, divers compete 11 dives, and are scored on each dive individually with a score out of ten. In diving, there are five different categories of dives: fronts, backs, reverses, inwards, and twisters. Rossio’s 11 dive list include:

Front 1.5 pike, front 2.5 tuck, front 1.5 1 twist free, back flip 1.5 twist, inward 1.5 tuck, reverse dive pike, back dive pike, back 1.5 pike, back 1.5 flip with half twist, reverse 1.5 tuck, and inward dive straight.

For Rossio, diving is more than a sport. Although he does not plan to dive in college, he acknowledges its monumental impact on his life.

“Diving was really just a way for me to focus my energy into something I enjoyed, and was something I was good at. I had a lot of fun diving, and giving it up was very bittersweet,” said Rossio.