Matthews adds height to difficult routine
North diver eyes fourth section title, third state crown
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Casey Matthews is the reigning Section VI and New York State 1-meter diving champion. The Williamsville North senior is one of five Lady Spartan captains. Photo by Joe Eberle Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

When it comes to high school 1-meter diving, nobody has been better in Western New York than Casey Matthews.

The Williamsville North senior has won three straight Section VI Championships and twice been named New York State champion (2004, 2006). So as Matthews heads into her sixth and final season with the Lady Spartans, how in the world can she top her already outstanding career? The answer: increase her dive difficulty.

Matthews said she is working on an inward double somersault (stand backward on diving board, rotate, do two somersaults forward), a back 1.5 somersault with a 1.5 twist (stand backward on board, jump backward off board, do 1.5 somersault but twist in the middle of the somersault) and is hoping to nail a reverse 1.5 somersault with a 1.5 twist (face forward on board, flip backward while moving forward and hit 1.5 somersault and twist in middle of the somersault).

All are extremely hard dives. The inward double somersault has a degree difficulty of 2.7, and the back 1.5 somersault with a 1.5 twist and the reverse 1.5 somersault with a 1.5 twist are both 2.6. (A 3.0 is typically the top dive degree difficulty for a 1-meter dive).

Matthews said the inward double and the back 1.5 somersault with a 1.5 twist are dives she incorporated into her routine last year; this year she wants to improve them by adding more height and control.

"The higher you get, the better chance that you can do the various maneuvers before you hit the water," added North swimming coach Doug Cassidy.

Diving has come naturally for Matthews, who at age 8 became interested in the sport while watching a diver at Park Country Club.

"I told my mom I really wanted to try it because it looks so cool," said Matthews. "Ever since then I've stuck with it."

She sure has. Matthews has dominated the sport. Besides her high school accomplishments, she placed seventh for USA Diving in the girls' 3-meter board finals at the world diving championships held in August 2006 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This past summer, she took 17th in 3-meter diving at US Senior Nationals in Stanford, Calif.

"It was the first time I've ever made senior nationals," said Matthews. "It was a really cool experience. I was competing against pre-Olympians and Olympians from around the U.S. I enjoyed it a lot."

She also took seventh in the 16-18 3-meter diving division at the Speedo Junior Nationals in Mission Viejo, Calif.

Matthews is so good because she has a great work ethic. She has started practicing in the morning from 6 to 7:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the University at Buffalo with Wings. The other weekdays she is practicing with North from 3 to 4:30 p.m. then heads to UB for Wings practice from 6 to 8 p.m.

"Her standard dives in practice look flawless," said Cassidy. "I look at T.J. (Hirsch, North diving coach), and I'm like, '''That's a nine or ten' (ten being a perfect dive if it were judged). And he says, 'Well, she is the state champion.' You kind of get spoiled of seeing her every day."

"It's almost kind of difficult to find things to correct in practice," added Hirsch. "Before I get the chance to say anything to her after she dives, she'll pop her head out of the water and say something that I was thinking that was wrong. It's like we're on the same wavelength."

Cassidy also said Matthews, one of five North senior captains, displays leadership, not only to the team's two other divers, senior Dana Gradl (qualified for ECICs and sectionals last year) and freshman Jenna Barton, but to the swimmers as well.

Some of Matthews' goals at North this fall are to beat the single meet six-dive North pool, ECIC and Section VI record of 306.65 set by 2000 North graduate Tracy Hoover (Matthews had 303 points a year and a half ago) and defend her state championship. Her toughest competition should come from senior Kristin Meier of Section IX's Valley Central, who edged Matthews for the state title when they were sophomores.

"It's really important because it's my senior year," said Matthews. "It would be tremendous to compete at states again. I'm excited to go."

"I think she has a good shot," added Hirsch. "Casey and Kristin are the same talentwise, but Casey is really determined to repeat as a state champion. If all of her hard work and dedication comes together, Casey will win a state championship."

The state meet will be held Nov. 16 and 17 at the Nassau County Aquatic Center in Long Island.

Matthews doesn't know where she will attend college next fall but has narrowed her selections to Auburn University, Indiana University, Notre Dame University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Purdue University.

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com