We’ve probably all done it before. Felt the exhilaration of leaping from the springiness of a diving board into a cool and refreshing pool. It’s a great feeling and an extremely fun activity, but, for some, it’s more than that. It’s a sport of competition and striving for perfection in each flip and twist. This is the case for junior Erin Neely, who dives for the high school team as well as for club teams.

Neely, who has placed first at every meet this year during the high school season, also won states last year and was one of the select few who has had the privilege to carry the state championship flag at an assembly.

She began as a gymnast but had her reasons for transitioning into diving.

“I injured my ankles and I kind of wanted to try something new,” said Neely. “I heard a lot of the gymnasts go to diving, so I thought I’d try it.”

And that was all it took. From there, she pursued diving and continued to try to improve her skills at the new sport. Her diving coach this year, Jasmine Ramahi, cited how Erin was able to become such an incredible diver.

“Her work ethic definitely attributes to her success and her dedication. Diving is a tough mental sport and being able to convince your body to do some of these things is not for just anybody. Erin is able to convince herself to keep going.”

And this hard work and dedication has certainly paid off as she has broken the school record for the six dive and eleven dive every year. Each of the three years she has been diving for the high school she has bested her own record and continues to set the mark to beat for those to come.

Like her coach, Neely’s teammate Nicole Carlson points to her dedication and insistence on hard work as the reason for her exceptional abilities.

“Erin is super focused when she’s diving,” said Carlson. “She always wants to do her best and pushes herself really hard. She practices until her dives are perfect.”

But beyond her obvious abilities in the pool, it’s also clear that she has made an impact while off the board as well.

“Outside the pool, Erin is is so much fun to be around,” said Colleen Kramer, another high school teammate. “She is a great friend who will always be there for me. She puts everyone before herself.”

Her other teammates also echo this opinion about Neely and claim that the team in general is a very close unit.

“The dive squad is super close this year,” said Carlson. “Erin is one of my favorite people, she’s a really sweet and caring person, and she’s someone who can really pump you up and motivate you when you’re feeling down.”

Neely also feels this closeness with her teammates and their willingness to always help and be there for one another.

“I love the high school team,” said Neely. “We’ve been together for a while and dive together all year round so we work really well together. Everyone helps each other, and it’s just a super great team.”

Yet, even though it can be all fun and games with her teammates, there is no denying that Neely is talented enough to dive beyond high school. She’s qualified for nationals three times and looks to pursue a future in diving into college. Some schools of interest for her include Virginia, Pittsburgh, Iowa, Ohio State, and North Carolina.

Her coach is also looking to the future to see what’s in store for her there.

“As far as expectations, we are looking at different college options and focusing on certain dives,” said Ramahi. “We want to score at least 7’s on all her dives this championship season.”

And even though these are extremely high expectations, Neely also sees herself as capable of achieving lofty goals.

“I’m hoping to still be undefeated this season,” said Neely about the goals she is setting for herself. “I’m also hoping to get All-American with 11 dives.”

But everyone who knows Neely says that she can accomplish all of this and more. With her hard work, dedication, and immense talent, she has a lot to look forward to in the future.

“When she goes off to college, she will be diving among some of the best people in the country,” said Kramer. “But being on the pool deck without her will be awful. I’m so excited to see what her future holds.”