Trojans junior Ruby Fowler dives into the season with fortified confidence and wins season debut in dual vs. Merrillville

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Learning the art of diving is difficult enough with both feet on the board, so trying to do it with one foot on the board, another on the balance beam it grows a whole lot tougher.
Diving was all new to Ruby Fowler last season, so naturally it didn’t feel as comfortable to her as gymnastics, which he had been doing all her life.
In Chesterton’s first swim and dive meet of the season, last week at home vs. Merrillville, she didn’t look like an athlete in a transition from a more familiar sport. Nothing about her suggested she was battling doubts about switching sports. She looked and performed like a full-time diver, on the board, where she looked so confident, and the scoreboard, where she finished first.
“I feel like last year I wasn’t 100% sure that this was my sport,” Fowler said. “But this year I’m ready and I just feel like I can do it. I’m way more confident in myself and I don’t doubt myself. I know I can do it. I’m not as stressed this year and I’m just excited to have fun and have more meets this year, so it’s exciting.”
She confessed to missing gymnastics a little last year.
“But not this year,” said Fowler, a junior. “All I can think about now is doing dives. I love it!”
Ruby reports that sister Bayley, a freshman diver at Illinois State University, “is doing great. I’m really proud of her.”
Even with the loss of Bayley, the school-record holder, who not only made it to state in her final two of three years as a diver but also made it to the final round both times, the Trojans’ dive team appears to be in good shape.
Merrillville didn’t have any divers, but to put Ruby’s victory in the season-opener in perspective, consider that one of the divers she finished ahead of placed ninth a year ago at the diving regional, one spot and just a couple of points out of the final qualifying spot for state.
That would be sophomore Bella Walters. She placed fourth in the sectional meet as a freshman, then barely missed a trip to state. Walters (196.85 points) finished second to Fowler (207.20) in the season opener.
“She’s doing really well right now,” Fowler said of Walters. “She has good experience now too. It’s good motivation for us to push each other.”
Serena Nieves (143.85), a sophomore, gives the Trojans a third diver learning from coach Elijah Mercado.
Many of Chesterton’s top swimmers did not compete against Merrillville, and the Trojans still won every event.
Kennedy Draves (26.67) won the 50 free and the 100 butterfly (1:04.67).
Emily Hofmann won the 200 freestyle (2:05.68) and 500 free events.
Patricia Ozimek won the 200 individual medley (2:23.67) and 100 breaststroke (1:14.24).
Sofia Teall (1:04.10) won the 100 free.
Alyssa Scalf placed first in the 100 backstroke in 1:04.94.
Draves, Ozimek, Scalf and Teall won the 200-yard medley relay in 1:59.64. Draves, Ozimek, Natalie Pieters and Hofmann won the 200 free relay in 1:46.90, and Peters, Cate Swistek, Scalf and Hofmann won the 400 free relay in 4:04.01.