The Elder Diving season is just around the corner, practices at the indoor facilities of NKU and UC have started up. It’s safe to say the diving team is a little more under the radar than other sports here at Elder. When competing with other winter sports like basketball and wrestling, it is easy for the student body to forget about the less popular sports like diving.

“We have a diving team?” said sophomore Ryan Custer.

Believe it or not, the Elder diving team actually has a pretty impressive recent history; with divers Eric Kelly, Chad Thornton, and Mitch Godar all qualifying for state in the past five years, with Godar qualifying for state the past two years.

This year’s diving team is led by Seniors Mitch Godar and Kevin Biggs and sophomore Brice Wauligman. Both Biggs and Wauligmann made it as far as the district meet last year; no small task considering both were in their first year of diving for Elder.

“It was really exciting making it as far as I did, especially as a first year diver,” said Biggs.

Godar, Elder’s brightest star, is coming fresh off state placing performances his sophomore and junior years. Godar is the only sophomore from Elder to ever qualify for state as a sophomore, placing 16^th. Godar made it back to state last diving season and placed 23^rd.

“I was disappointed with my performance last year at State, but I have been working hard and hope to place in the top ten this season,” said Godar.

Godar’s six dive list includes a front two and a half pike position (pike being when the diver brings his body down to his legs while keeping his legs straight), back one and a half pike position, full twisting one and half, front 1 and a half pike position, an inward (when the diver starts backwards and flips forward), two and a half tuck position, and a reverse (when the diver starts forward and flips backwards) one and a half tuck position.

The diving team is poised for a big year. This group of kids is set to put diving on the map with the other popular sports here at Elder, and with athletes like Biggs and Godar they just might do it.