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New Year's Eve is the perfect time for Molly Swartz to get a well deserved reprieve. Heaven knows she certainly deserves it after a wild several months literally minutes from the Big Apple.
The fact that she goes to school at Stony Brook University is merely a backdrop for an unbelievable sports run that has yet to play itself out.
For the moment, Molly resides on Long Island in New York. She is a diver for Stony Brook's team. She graduated from Nevada Union High School and Sierra College and trudged 3,000 miles from home to chase a dream.
She states in her biography that she is from Grass Valley, California. The story of her pursuit is nothing short of amazing. It borders on unbelievable. Yet, it is true.
Molly indeed attended Nevada Union. Although she participated in diving all four years as a member of the varsity team, she split her time with volleyball and dancing. Molly is a very well rounded lady. She did not pigeon-hole herself into one pursuit. She lived life and enjoyed it. Truth be known, she might have even found dance more tantalizing.
Yet she dove and she dove well. She performed well enough to attract the attention of Sierra College coach Roland King. He confided that he wanted Molly to be a part of his team after graduation from Nevada Union. Roland invited her to diving camps. He began to show a personal interest. There was something about Molly Swartz that showed incredible promise. Roland King was perceptive enough to recognize it.
Molly noted, “After NU, I still wanted to dance, but there was no place to do it. I decided on Sierra where Roland was coaching.”
There was nothing extraordinary about her initial days at Sierra College. In most of her meets, she garnered second place. She was good, but it would be difficult to term her outstanding.
Then came the state championships in 2010.
“I usually work through my routine. I was so nervous. I did it one dive at a time. There were six dives on the one meter and six dives on the three meter,” recalls Swartz.
Molly found herself at that event. She began to dive by instinct. Gone were the moments where she overthought dives or events. Molly had developed a new approach.
And it worked. In stunning fashion, she won the state championship in the one meter and ranked third in the three meter.
Swartz states, “It was a turning point. I decided I wanted to do harder dives and perfect the ones I had. Things changed almost overnight. Before, it was something I did. After that, I was more focused.”
In the 2011 State Championships, she elevated her performance to a new level. She not only claimed first in the one meter, she also won the three meter. It was an incredible accomplishment.
“I went up, did my dives and moved on. It was really exciting,” remembers Swartz.
Her days at Sierra rapidly drew to a close. She had most certainly left her mark in the Rocklin waters. Roland King had ushered in a whole new era in her life. Yet despite the accomplishments, there was still doubt.
“I didn't think anyone would want me. I gave my coach a list of colleges I would like to attend. There were a lot of recruiting trips, but I narrowed it down to USC and Stony Brook. At Stony Brook, I was offered a full ride,” recalls Molly.
So she decided to pack things up and move to the other side of the country, in Long Island, minutes from Manhattan. From quiet Grass Valley, the journey was to elevate itself a few notches. It is a college campus that was like a small town. It reminded her of Nevada City in a way. It felt homey to Molly.
Her training regimen is rigorous. It is seven days a week. There are times it is twice a day. She has a demanding coach in Dr. Brian Yodice. He is a taskmaster. He immediately increased the difficulty of her dives. It was a tough adjustment for Molly. This was a whole new format, and it was very challenging.
The meet season runs from October through March. This would be the biggest test of her diving career.
“At the beginning, I was frustrated. I did not expect to do well in our first meets. I was working on new dives. Then I stopped focusing. I just did it and it clicked! That is just my style,” said Molly.
On Dec. 2 and 3, Molly Swartz participated in the East Meadow, New York, meet at the Nassau County Aquatics Center. It was sponsored by the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Amazingly, Molly set an ECAC Winter Championship record on the one-meter board. She also won the three-meter competition. It was an amazing accomplishment. She was selected Diver of the Meet.
As the new year dawns, there is so much on the horizon for Molly Swartz. She would like to make it to the NCAA Finals. A Puerto Rico training trip is but a few weeks away. Although life is largely school work, napping, diving and school, Molly has found her way to New York City to really soak up the local atmosphere. With all of these demands, she has still managed to squeeze four A's and two B's out of her 19-unit first semester.
Yet perhaps the most noteworthy item is how Molly approaches it all. There is an innocence and down-to-earth approach that is amazing. As surreal as it might be, in the eyes of Molly Swartz, it is just a part of life's journey. She does not embark on amazing highs and devastating lows. She takes it one day at a time and truly enjoys what life is bringing her way.
Diving remains just a part of the picture. Although it is a large chunk of life, there is so much more that is a part of this adventure.
“It is nice to get the mental break,” she states.
The days ahead possess so much potential. A local girl living a sports dream. Yet she does it with great calm and composure. This is fun. Even with all the accomplishments and the exciting days ahead, Molly is a lady who does not get ahead of herself.
2012 begins tomorrow. For Molly Swartz, the hope is that it ushers in another rich chapter of an amazing story.
The fact that she goes to school at Stony Brook University is merely a backdrop for an unbelievable sports run that has yet to play itself out.
For the moment, Molly resides on Long Island in New York. She is a diver for Stony Brook's team. She graduated from Nevada Union High School and Sierra College and trudged 3,000 miles from home to chase a dream.
She states in her biography that she is from Grass Valley, California. The story of her pursuit is nothing short of amazing. It borders on unbelievable. Yet, it is true.
Molly indeed attended Nevada Union. Although she participated in diving all four years as a member of the varsity team, she split her time with volleyball and dancing. Molly is a very well rounded lady. She did not pigeon-hole herself into one pursuit. She lived life and enjoyed it. Truth be known, she might have even found dance more tantalizing.
Yet she dove and she dove well. She performed well enough to attract the attention of Sierra College coach Roland King. He confided that he wanted Molly to be a part of his team after graduation from Nevada Union. Roland invited her to diving camps. He began to show a personal interest. There was something about Molly Swartz that showed incredible promise. Roland King was perceptive enough to recognize it.
Molly noted, “After NU, I still wanted to dance, but there was no place to do it. I decided on Sierra where Roland was coaching.”
There was nothing extraordinary about her initial days at Sierra College. In most of her meets, she garnered second place. She was good, but it would be difficult to term her outstanding.
Then came the state championships in 2010.
“I usually work through my routine. I was so nervous. I did it one dive at a time. There were six dives on the one meter and six dives on the three meter,” recalls Swartz.
Molly found herself at that event. She began to dive by instinct. Gone were the moments where she overthought dives or events. Molly had developed a new approach.
And it worked. In stunning fashion, she won the state championship in the one meter and ranked third in the three meter.
Swartz states, “It was a turning point. I decided I wanted to do harder dives and perfect the ones I had. Things changed almost overnight. Before, it was something I did. After that, I was more focused.”
In the 2011 State Championships, she elevated her performance to a new level. She not only claimed first in the one meter, she also won the three meter. It was an incredible accomplishment.
“I went up, did my dives and moved on. It was really exciting,” remembers Swartz.
Her days at Sierra rapidly drew to a close. She had most certainly left her mark in the Rocklin waters. Roland King had ushered in a whole new era in her life. Yet despite the accomplishments, there was still doubt.
“I didn't think anyone would want me. I gave my coach a list of colleges I would like to attend. There were a lot of recruiting trips, but I narrowed it down to USC and Stony Brook. At Stony Brook, I was offered a full ride,” recalls Molly.
So she decided to pack things up and move to the other side of the country, in Long Island, minutes from Manhattan. From quiet Grass Valley, the journey was to elevate itself a few notches. It is a college campus that was like a small town. It reminded her of Nevada City in a way. It felt homey to Molly.
Her training regimen is rigorous. It is seven days a week. There are times it is twice a day. She has a demanding coach in Dr. Brian Yodice. He is a taskmaster. He immediately increased the difficulty of her dives. It was a tough adjustment for Molly. This was a whole new format, and it was very challenging.
The meet season runs from October through March. This would be the biggest test of her diving career.
“At the beginning, I was frustrated. I did not expect to do well in our first meets. I was working on new dives. Then I stopped focusing. I just did it and it clicked! That is just my style,” said Molly.
On Dec. 2 and 3, Molly Swartz participated in the East Meadow, New York, meet at the Nassau County Aquatics Center. It was sponsored by the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Amazingly, Molly set an ECAC Winter Championship record on the one-meter board. She also won the three-meter competition. It was an amazing accomplishment. She was selected Diver of the Meet.
As the new year dawns, there is so much on the horizon for Molly Swartz. She would like to make it to the NCAA Finals. A Puerto Rico training trip is but a few weeks away. Although life is largely school work, napping, diving and school, Molly has found her way to New York City to really soak up the local atmosphere. With all of these demands, she has still managed to squeeze four A's and two B's out of her 19-unit first semester.
Yet perhaps the most noteworthy item is how Molly approaches it all. There is an innocence and down-to-earth approach that is amazing. As surreal as it might be, in the eyes of Molly Swartz, it is just a part of life's journey. She does not embark on amazing highs and devastating lows. She takes it one day at a time and truly enjoys what life is bringing her way.
Diving remains just a part of the picture. Although it is a large chunk of life, there is so much more that is a part of this adventure.
“It is nice to get the mental break,” she states.
The days ahead possess so much potential. A local girl living a sports dream. Yet she does it with great calm and composure. This is fun. Even with all the accomplishments and the exciting days ahead, Molly is a lady who does not get ahead of herself.
2012 begins tomorrow. For Molly Swartz, the hope is that it ushers in another rich chapter of an amazing story.
Jim Adams lives in Nevada City, is a regular contributor to The Union and a broadcaster for TouchDown Productions. He may be reached via e-mail at adamses@inreach.com.
