Monroeville Marlins add diving program
Share this post:
The Monroeville Marlins is not just for swimmers anymore.
Starting Thursday, the organization will offer an eight-week program for those interested in diving.
Leading the group is John Ritter, the diving coach at Gateway, and he said he’s excited to give those interested in the sport a chance to begin at a younger age.
That excitement flows throughout the club, said Marlins swimming head coach Kathy Bernardi.
“My husband and I have been going to Gateway swimming and diving meets for eight or nine years now because we have kids who have swum at the varsity level for that long,” she said.
“We also watched diving, and there have been some lean years, and there have been other years where the diving program has been strong. We knew a lot of the divers started right before the season in November, whether it was as a freshman or later, and would only have those few months of training each season.
“When John took over the diving program, we were impressed with what he was doing and how he was interacting with the divers. We got to thinking about having a training program with the Marlins that would give the kids some extra time. We heard a lot of interest in that, and John was on board. Hopefully, we can get this program growing to where it benefits a lot of kids.”
The Marlins hosted a parents meeting last week, and the diving program was an item high on the docket.
Ritter said he doesn’t know how many will end up registering for and joining the initial endeavor, but he hopes more will take an interest over the next couple of weeks.
The program, which Ritter said can serve as a natural feeder for high school diving, will host sessions Thursdays from 5 to 7 p.m. and also Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon. It is designated for youth starting at age 8 through high school.
For the first couple of weeks, the program will be based at Haymaker Swim Club in Monroeville before moving to the Gateway High School natatorium.
Ritter stressed that the program is not just for residents of Monroeville or Pitcairn or Gateway students. Youth from all over the east suburbs, he said, are welcome to join and learn about diving at the ground level or improve on skills already learned in the sport.
He said the program will consist of instruction in the areas of skills, form, timing, safety, the different types of dives and the rules.
“I am looking for kids who have a natural inclination to tumble, jump and climb,” Ritter said.
“This program can also be a benefit to kids who may desire cross-training for sports such as volleyball, dance, soccer, field hockey, football and synchronized swimming. It can also build presentation skills for things like public speaking, theater and music.”
Last year, eight divers were on the Gateway swimming and diving roster. Noah Passalinqua, now a senior, qualified for the WPIAL championships at North Allegheny. He finished 16th in the Class 3A competition.
Also on the team was Sarah Harper, a senior this year who began diving for Gateway at the start of her freshman season in 2019.
She will take part in the new Marlins diving program in addition to concentrating on her goals this fall as a member of the Gateway girls golf team.
“In the summer, we have a diving board at our family pool, and I always liked going off of it and trying some weird tricks,” said Harper, who also swims the 200-yard individual medley and 100 backstroke for the Gateway swim team.
“I wanted to be better at diving, so I decided to give it a try for the high school team.”
Harper said she saw a big point increase from the beginning to the end of her junior diving season.
“I feel I was less nervous toward the end of the season and more willing to take risks,” she said.
Harper said she feels it is important for her senior year to get the extra head start the Marlins diving program will give her.
“I just want to get better and work with coach Ritter on a number of things with my dives,” she said.
Harper said she hopes she can get some of her Gateway diving teammates and other classmates to join her in the fall program.
For more information or to sign up, visit monroevillemarlins.com.