10 meters in the air. Below, a cool, calm pool waits to engulf you. Your

back faces the edge and only the strength of your toes keeps you from prematurely

plunging. Everything you’ve trained for and hoped for culminates in the

next moment as you bend and release.

Pretty scary huh?

Not for Kathy Pesek, a junior diver for the University of Tennessee who

has just returned from the 1998 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships

where she earned the national title on the 10-meter platform. The five-time

All American from Houston, Texas, dove into the record books with a score

of 659.65. Pesek set a new school record and performed a career best.

Flipping through the air with grace and style she pierced the surface

of the water, nailing her final dive and securing the win.

“All I could say was wow,” Pesek said of her first national

title.

Head coach Dave Parrington, began working with Pesek when she was 8,

making her win even more special.

“It was a great moment,” Parrington said,” I saw so much

potential in her as a little girl and now we see that some of the things

we did so long ago are starting to pay off.”

Pesek followed her older sister, who remains her mentor, into the diving

world and credits her success to her family’s support and Parrington’s close

attention to the individual divers.

Pesek has been displaying her phenomenal diving skills all year as she

earned a bronze medal in the 3-meter synchronized diving at the World Championships

in Perth, and also took the title for 10-meter diving at the SEC Championships

in February, setting a conference record.

Though her trophy case is packed, Pesek maintains her focus.

“We still have a big season left,” Pesek said. ” I have

to maintain my intensity and continue to fine tune.”

Parrington,who left Wednesday to escort his divers to the U.S. diving

spring preliminaries, keeps Pesek striving for improvement.

“She must be consistent on a high level,” Parrington said.

“Knowing that there are a lot of other great divers out there helps

her keep her focus.”

With the 2000 Olympics on her mind, Pesek does not waste time patting

herself on the back. Though her accomplishments are vast, she is always

thinking and training for the next dive.

“You have to train for perfection,” said Pesek, who actually

scored a “perfect 10” from one judge during preliminaries at NCAA’s.

Though this strive for perfection is grueling and tenths of points can

make the difference between gold and silver, Pesek maintains a practical

and passionate outlook on her sport.

“I have to keep the big picture in mind and remind myself to have

a good time,” Pesek said.

It is her pure love of diving, however, that keeps her climbing the platform

and piercing the pool.

“There is nothing like the feeling of hitting a dive,” Pesek

said. “You cannot find that rush anywhere else; it’s what keeps me

coming back.”

Of course spinning through the air with increasing speed towards the

water may not appeal to everyone. Standing on a 10-meter-high platform is

frightening in itself, let alone the thought of missing the dive and smacking

the unforgiving surface of the pool. But according to Parrington, divers

are a special breed of athlete.

“They must be somewhat fearless,” said Parrington, who as a

diver himself noted that the 10-meter can be very scary. “But diving

is also an exciting and exhilarating challenge.”

Scary or not, Pesek continues to take the plunge. And though she barely

leaves a ripple in the pool, Pesek’s success will certainly be remembered

as she continues to work towards her goals and ultimately her Olympic dream.

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