After breaking a 33-year-old diving record, “The North Star” catches up with Regan Repsholdt to learn more about her diving career

By Staff Writer Jennifer Fortman

Production by Photographer Juan Jara

https://vimeo.com/78078193

This week Jennifer Fortman interviewed freshman Regan Repsholdt. Repsholdt competes on the girls dive team and recently broke multiple diving records.

Q : What’s the best thing about your sport?

A: The best thing about diving is the way it feels. You dive in the water, and it’s really smooth when you hit the dive. It’s just like any other sport. You get addicted to it. I’ve been doing it for a long time, and it’s really fun. Diving is my life; I love it.

Q: What’s the worst thing about your sport?

A: Probably learning new dives because once you start something new, you totally smack the water and it hurts too. It’s very unpredictable.

Q: How far do you want to go with your sport?

A: I am going to try it in college. Penn State is may be a place I’d like to dive at.

Q: What’s the most important contribution you make to your team?

A: I think that I always cheer up my teammates and I really encourage and push them to do better and go as hard as they can. You kind of get a friend rivalry going because they are your friends but there is still competition. So if I step up my game, then they do as well.

Q: How have you evolved as an athlete over the years?

A: Every year, I get better. I try harder every year and with this you learn more. The longer you stick with diving, the better you get. I think that is the case with every sport, but I definitely try harder every year.

Q: What coaches and/or mentors have inspired you over the years?

A: My coach, Maz, because he is one of the best coaches that you could ask for. He really helps me with all my dives and pushes me to do the absolute best that I can do. He is retiring this year, and I am going to miss him so much because he’s the best coach ever. My big sister, Kelly Phares, helped me a lot for the last meet. I was 40 points down for the last dive, and I needed 40 points to break the record so I asked her how I could break it. She just told me that I needed six and a half to seven on the last dive, and I did exactly what she said. I was so happy when I got out of the water, and I broke the record. She is someone who is really inspiring.