Diver supreme: Pueblo West's Hailey Garner makes transition from gymnastics to the pool

Jan. 21—Walking the plank comes naturally for Hailey Garner.

No, not that plank.

The diving board is what we're talking about here.

Garner is a diver at Pueblo West High School and is wrapping up her prep career, one that has been outstanding.

Bouncing off a diving board and performing high-wire routines in the air has become a thing for Garner, who started her high school career as a gymnast.

After competing in gymnastics for most of her life, Garner wanted a new challenge and was beat up physically.

"I was doing club for a long time so just the overall tear on my body got too much to the point I would cry every day in pain," Garner said.

"Then I quit and I thought, 'diving sounds fun.' I wanted to do it my freshman year but because I was doing gymnastics I started diving my sophomore year.

"(Diving) is much more fun than gymnastics and not as tough on the body."

She competed in gymnastics as a freshman.

As a sophomore, she shelved gymnastics for the diving board and it's been a revelation.

"She started diving as a sophomore and had never dived before," Pueblo West swimming and diving coach Dianne Petkoff said.

"Since then, she's gone above and beyond to secure her place in the South-Central League, on the team and as one of the top divers Pueblo has ever had."

From the start, Garner took the sport of diving seriously. Her background in gymnastics helped immensely.

"Gymnastics helped," she said. "The air awareness and then being able to flip helped a lot because I knew where I was in the air.

"I progressed a lot. I wasn't bad when I started."

Petkoff said Garner has expanded her practice time and that's made her one of the elite divers in the state.

"She made it a point to join a diving club in Colorado Springs and that's helped her get better," Petkoff said. "The extra time she's put in has made her scores go up and she's gotten better and better."

Even as a sophomore, there was promise in Garner's dives. She qualified for state in her first year of diving and finished 17th in the state. The groundwork had been set.

Last year as a junior, Garner finished sixth at the Class 4A state swimming and diving meet with a 387.10 score in 11 dives. That was well under the 428.90 she put up during a meet earlier that season that set the Pueblo West school record.

That record has since been erased when Garner compiled 432.55 points at the Cheyenne Mountain meet just before Christmas. And it fell again on Jan. 15 at the prestigious Hornet Invitational when Garner compiled 433.30 points to win the diving competition.

Petkoff said there's no reason to think that Garner can't extend that record even farther.

"She's made great strides in a short amount of time," Petkoff said. "She's always pushing to get better with her degree of difficulty so I don't see any reason she won't continue to score higher."

Joining the Colorado Springers Diving Club has helped Garner improve her degree of difficulty in her dives. That, along with being aware of other divers, has helped Garner get better.

"At state, just watching how calm and focused other divers are on the board helps because I get nervous," she said. ".Just seeing their approaches, I watch what other divers are doing to help me."

Garner explains what her easiest and most difficult dives are.

"My easiest dive is my reverse somersault," she said. "My hardest dive is either my back 1 1/2 and my forward 2 1/2. I'm pretty confident in my forward 2 1/2.

"My goals are to be happy with myself. I don't go for the super high scores. I'm just hoping for 6s and be happy with my diving."

Petkoff said Garner has an infectious personality that has translated into her performances.

"She's an awesome person," Petkoff said. "She's very friendly, outgoing and has become a leader on our team. She takes what you tell her and is eager to learn.

"She enjoys what she does and has fun up there on the board. She always wants to better herself and dives at a high level."

Garner has committed to the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley to compete in diving for the Bears.

"I'm committed to UNC," she said. "I'm hoping to get some money after my freshman year. That's the way it works."

She's planning on studying sports science or sports medicine or physical training.

Garner is glad she has made the transition to diving from gymnastics.

"Sometimes I miss gymnastics and then I think how hard physically and mentally it was," Garner said. "And then I'm like, diving is way better and then I don't miss it anymore."

Chieftain senior sports reporter Jeff Letofsky can be reached by email at jletofsky@chieftain.com or on Twitter @jeffletofsky