Sophomore Jason Phan won the PAC Diving Championship on Feb 6 at Upper Merion High School to cap off his first season on the team.
“Being the PAC diving champion is really an honor,” Jason said.
“It’s an incredible experience with lots of hard work being paid off.”
Jason indicated that the accomplishment was meaningful considering “I only started diving this season, having very little experience before joining.”
The sport requires intense athleticism and grace, said Jason who explained how his sport is evaluated.
“Diving is scored by your approach, takeoff, execution, and entry, with three judges scoring you from 0-10. There is a multiplier called Degree of Difficulty which multiplies the raw scores. The more difficult the dive is, the higher the DD is. All of your scores of the dives will be added up at the end of the meet which will determine your placement,” he said.
Jason, who also swims and is competitive in taekwondo with a second-degree black belt, said the number of dives he does depends on the event.
“At a dual meet, I will do six dives. If I’m competing at a championship meet like PACs or Districts, I will do 11 dives,” added Jason who also talked about what he does in the off season.
“I do not train specifically for diving during the off-season, but I do practice flipping on a trampoline and even the ground at my house.”
Jason, who is also a Key Club and ASA member, gave a few shout outs to people who have helped him this season.
“I would really like to thank my coach, Coach Holly, and my family and friends who have supported me throughout my time diving. I’d like to shout out to my mom and dad, [and] even my teammates’ parents who watched and supported me at my meets,” he said.
For those who want to dive, rest assured that “anyone can start diving with no experience. All it takes is hard work and dedication to perform better each meet.” Jason tells the story of Senior Josiah Tjoe, who “joined the diving team with no experience and progressed very quickly throughout the season.”
Looking ahead, Jason Phan wants to improve.
“I would really love to keep competing in diving and getting better each season.”
![Izzy Ketter said she will miss “the pasta party before PACS the most” and that she is proud of “developing good leadership and teaching skills over the past four years [while] learning from other teammates and coaches.” Ketter committed to Shippensburg University for swimming and is planning to study business.](https://thewindyhill.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Ketter-e1738783594149-1200x707.jpg)
