Junior Karsten Krampe has a lot of unique hobbies, one of them being the art of diving. He has a lot of hobbies and likings, but one thing he has learned to love is his sport in the water. It has taught him many important life lessons, and it has implemented growth in his character. He has been diving for a while now, and he enjoys it although there are hardships that he has to endure that come along with the advantages of the sport.
“I’m happy I joined dive because I’ve found that I’m good at it,” Karsten said. “I can channel my more specialized skills”.
Karsten chose a sport that set him apart from others. He is the only male diver at FHC, and that makes him very interesting, and it makes his individuality grow.
With a difficult sport comes even more difficult challenges. There are weeks where Karsten faces new challenges every practice, and there are weeks where he does not face any. This has taught him things that make him who he is today.
“Being afraid to do a new dive and having to do it over and over again until I get it has built up a lot of resilience for me and built my character a lot,” Karsten said.
The physical aspect of diving can be overwhelming, but the mental aspect can be even harder. The obstacles to face are different for everyone, but for Karsten, it is the mental block of it all, that doubt in the back of his mind.
Mentality is often important in every sport, but Karsten believes his sport is one of the most mental sports. He also did gymnastics, so the mental trauma he has received from that in the past has an impact on who he is in diving now.
“The most difficult thing about diving isn’t the skill, which is what most people think,” Karsten said. “It is actually the mental blocks that can come with it. But once you’re past them, it all comes naturally.”
Diving has its benefits, and Karsten originally joined the sport for these. Diving has given him new life skills and physical skills. It has taught him new ways of thinking, and he has also made new friends through diving.
Karsten thinks the benefits outweigh the negatives greatly, but the negatives do have severe impacts on him at times. Hanging out with friends, balancing school, and keeping a good mindset can be difficult throughout the season.
“Dive has helped my life tremendously and has opened up many new doors for me,” Karsten said. “Although it is difficult, my practices used to be four hours long, so it is easier for me to have time now. However, I try to get as much done at school as possible, and immediately upon arriving home, I do my homework so I can complete it and be in bed on time.”
Being the only male to do diving in the whole school can create a lot of inner conflicts and pressures for Karsten. Sometimes when it seems impossible to continue, he thinks about what inspired him to begin the sport in the first place: the way it sets him apart.
Originality is cool, and diving has given Karsten a lot of that. He is happy he joined dive because he can channel his past experience from gymnastics and use that, and he has found that he has a talent for it.
“I’m able to use my past expertise in gymnastics, and I get to channel it into something more specialized and less stressful,” Karsten said. “If diving is a possibility, I say do it. It sets you aside from everyone else, and that’s something special.”
Through all the challenges and hardships Karsten has faced, he has stuck with diving because of one thing: the love of the sport. He loves doing it, and he loves some of the people he has met through it.
A key thing for Karsten’s mentality is to not make decisions based on others opinions. If it is something he wants, he will go to any extent to do it, to prove to himself that he can. Other people should not have an effect on whether you do something you love and enjoy.
“Don’t be afraid of what people think about it; [diving is] a truly amazing sport,” Karsten said. “I think people are pleasantly surprised by the amount of ability they have to be great.”
