From water to land, sports at CHS build this school into something greater than just academics. Most students know of the common sports but many are unfamiliar with the diving team, and its sole diver, sophomore Kaylee-Anna Jayaweera. Jayaweera has been diving since the summer of seventh grade. Since she participated in a multitude of sports prior to diving, Jayaweera was already familiar with the competitive aspect that sports bring. She is a unique athlete at CHS since there has not been a diving team in many years.

Jayaweera started diving with a club called Stars and Stripes in La Verne. This is where she developed the basic skills needed to be a proficient diver. When she improved, she switched teams to a club in Riverside where she practiced every day after school.

“It takes a lot of dedication getting in and out of the water when it’s 60 degrees to try and perfect a dive. Waking up early in the morning when it’s cold outside is difficult when you know you have to go and practice,” Jayaweera said.

After participating in a year of diving, Jayaweera looked forward to diving at CHS. The problem was that the aquatics program at CHS only consisted of water polo and the swim team. CHS once had a diving team; however, it died out once it lost athletes to participate. Jayaweera then took action by talking to the CUSD Board in 2015 in hopes of convincing them to re-establish a diving team at the high school again.

After gathering all of the necessities, there was still a problem: Jayaweera was the only diver and the CUSD Board stated that she needed to make CIF or else they would stop funding the diving program. Jayaweera was able to make it to CIF but only made it to round two. Although she did not go a long way, she was able to save the diving team at CHS.

Being the only diver on the team can be beneficial. The coach is able to talk and teach the athlete one on one, therefore getting through more dives and receiving a better learning experience overall. Being the only diver can also have its downsides as well. Without the support of fellow teammates, being motivated can be a struggle.

“There is a lot of self-motivation since I’m the only diver on the team. It’s definitely difficult to keep pushing, but the idea of having a perfect dive is one thing that helps me keep going,” Jayaweera said.

Although Jayaweera went through tough bumps in the road to do the sport that she loves, she successfully overcame them. With the diving season starting up again, Jayaweera’s goals are to make it to CIF once again and advance even farther than last year. Competing in a sport that she loves, she is very happy to be entering her second season of diving at CHS and encourages students to take on diving and try out for the team.