Chesterton divers Ruby Fowler and Bella Walters trading top spot at meets, making each other better through every twist and turn of the season

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Typically, coaches believe their most important work is done during practices, and competitions are where that work is put to work by the athletes.
The Chesterton divers made a strong case for that Thursday because they were without coach Elijah Mercado and performed well nonetheless.
“He’s a nurse and he had to stay at work for an emergency,” Chesterton junior diver Ruby Fowler said. “I think we did pretty well for him not being here. It wasn’t bad.”
On this day in a dual meet with visiting LaPorte, Fowler edged teammate sophomore Bella Walters for first place, scoring 213.65 points compared to 208.15 for Walters. In some other competitions, Walters edges Fowler, and back and forth they go. It’s been that way all season for two divers hoping to extend the streak of Chesterton divers making it to state for the girls competition to three. Ruby’s sister Bailey, now diving for Illinois State, went the past two seasons.
“I feel like we motivate each other,” Walters said. “We do a lot of the same dives. It pushes us both: ‘Who’s going to get first on this dive? Who’s going to get first on the next one?’”
Also, Walters said, since they do “pretty much the same dives,” it helps to watch not only their own dives, but both divers’ videos.
“If one of us is struggling to do something and the other person has it, you can look at what they’re doing and say, ‘Oh, that’s what I have to do,’” Walters said.
Divers rely heavily on watching video.
“You might not always feel what you did, but you can always see it,” Walters said.
Both girls will compete Saturday at the Hobart Diving Invitational, which like postseason meets is an 11-dive competition, compared to six dives in dual meets. It’s their second 11-dive meet of the season, the first being the Hall of Fame Classic in Franklin.
“This sets you up nicely for those,” Fowler said of postseason meets.
Mercado will be back for Saturday’s invitational at his alma mater, which has the divers in a good mood.
“He motivates us very well,” Walters said. “He gets us hyped up, gives us a pep talk and stuff.”