The Stratford divers began their season with a diving-only meet at Atascocita High School on Oct. 1. Senior Charlize Spiers won the women’s competition with a 6-dive score of 221.75 – more than 50 points better than the second-place finisher. Senior Robbie Howell placed fifth in the men’s division with a personal best of 190.65 points. Junior exchange student Sofia Scichilone made her diving debut with a 4-dive total of 64.55 points.

Charlize and Robbie are both going into their final seasons with years of experience and multiple Regional appearances. Charlize started this meet with a clean forward 1.5 somersault pike. Her following dives consistently received individual awards of 6-7 points. She saved the most challenging for last, a forward 2.5 somersault tuck. 

Robbie also started with a forward 1.5 somersault pike. He followed that with a forward 2.5 somersault tuck in which he performed tight spinning. His best dive was the last, an inward 1.5 somersault with a very clean entry.

Sofia is an exchange student from Italy who has just started diving. She performed four solid dives, highlighted by a back somersault tuck that earned a judge’s award of 5 points.

The next competition for the Stratford divers will be Oct. 7 in Conroe, a combination swim-dive meet against The Woodlands.