Roberts leading UH divers hoping to set school history
By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| Maggie Roberts has graduated from somersaulting on concrete to diving for the University of Hawai'i.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser |
As Hawai'i's first two-time Western Athletic Conference Diver of the Year, Roberts amazed and frightened her parents, Kathy and Terry, with her hardcore athletic feats as a child.
"When I was 3 or 4 years old, according to my mom, I was trying somersaults on the concrete," Roberts said. "As a 3-year-old you don't know that's a dangerous thing."
Since her brush with danger, the sophomore has gone from gymnast to world trampoline champion to one of the finest Hawai'i divers. Roberts, along with her male counterparts, sophomore Jonathan Coyle and junior Mike Gowdy, are all hoping to earn NCAA berths.
The three divers will make Hawai'i history if they all qualify for the NCAA meets at the end of this month.
The men will compete March 27-29 in Austin, Texas, while the women will go March 20-22 at Auburn, Ill. Hawai'i has never had three divers qualify for NCAAs in the same season, according to Hawai'i coach Mike Brown.
The trio must first qualify at the Zone E Diving Championships at Oklahoma City on Friday and Saturday. The meet will feature some of the best schools in the West, including Stanford, UCLA, Southern California, Arizona State, Arizona and Brigham Young.
For Hawai'i to rewrite the record books, Roberts will have to continue her remarkable recovery from a severe injury to her left ankle — her push-off foot — suffered when she twisted it going down a flight of stairs at the Texas Invitational in December.
After missing more than a month of practice, Roberts recovered with acupuncture treatments and eventually won the platform diving event at the WAC Championships last month in San Antonio. She also placed third in the 1-meter and second in the 3-meter competitions.
"It was pretty miraculous that she was even diving," Brown said. "She won the (WAC) platform without even practicing. When the lights go on, she turns on a little brighter. She did a good job competing. She enjoyed it and her ankle held up pretty well."
At age 4, Roberts started her athletic career in gymnastics, a sport where she could learn how to fall without hurting herself.
About five years later, the native of Sandringham, Victoria, Australia, started practicing on the trampoline, and in 1992 won a gold medal at the World Trampoline Championships in the 10-and-under Double-Mini event.
"I learned my aerial skills in trampolining," said Roberts, who has participated in international diving competitions since 1996. "It really gave me a good start. I do believe it's definitely a good training method for diving."
As for the men, Coyle and Gowdy have their own method of getting through the season's ups and downs by encouraging each other in practices and competitions.
"Mike definitely pushes me to be better," Coyle said. "One of the best aspects of Mike's diving is the way he can turn on in a meet and do good dives under pressure. He sets a good example in that way."
Gowdy, who qualified for the NCAAs as a freshman, hails from London, Ontario, Canada.
At the National Independent Conference Championships from Feb. 26 to March 1 in Rochester, Mich., Gowdy won the 1-meter diving event and earned the Diver of the Year Award.
"Everyone has been diving very well this year, a lot better than last year going into the (qualifying) meet," Gowdy said. "I think that both John and I will make the NCAAs. I'm pretty sure of it.
"Maggie's a good competitor. Even though she's injured, I think she'll make the NCAAs."
As for Coyle, he won the 5-meter platform diving event at the National Independent Conference Championships, and believes he can qualify for the NCAAs on the platform and 1-meter.
"I would be disappointed if I don't make it," said Coyle, who is from Austin. "I feel pretty strong. I feel pretty good about it."
At the qualifying meet, the divers will be accompanied by Brown, a former Olympic diving coach, who is in his third season with Hawai'i after coming over from Texas where he served 18 years as diving coach. He coached 28 All-Americans, 18 U.S. National Team members and five Olympians at Texas.
Brown said his Hawai'i divers perform anywhere from 20 to 40 practice dives a day, and he tries to critique every one of them so they can improve.
"I can't dive without Mike," said Roberts, who finds Brown's feedback very helpful. "Even if it's the littlest thing, like holding your arms up, that could make such a difference in your dive."
Added Gowdy: "About everyone in American diving has dove for Mike at some point in time. I feel very lucky to dive for him. If we have any questions, he knows right away."
