Haim successfully dives into his dreams

Elena Coe McNamara, Isabelle Chiu

Executive Features Editor, Executive Sports Editor

Mira Costa freshman dives into his dreams, diving for both Costa’s dive team and Trojan Club.

Haim said he began diving at age 9, after seeing a dive show while on a cruise in the Caribbean. Haim recently placed first in the 2017 USA Diving Junior Region 12 Championships.

“Every year I do more than the previous, so the feeling of  accomplishment and knowing I’m progressing keeps me going,” Haim said. “ I know I can keep working at it and just keep doing better and better.”

Haim currently plays no other sports, and participates on Trojan Dive club and is Costa’s sole diver on Costa’s swim and dive team. Haim trains five to six times a week, which he says is hard to balance with school, but is something that he has begun to figure out.

“My coaches are really the people that drive me to succeed,” Haim said. “My parents are really supportive me in every way possible.”  

Haim plans to dive all the way through college, and depending on how he places, eventually reach the Olympics, he said.

“My favorite part about being on a team is being with everyone because even though it is an individual sport, you travel with everyone and all support each other,” Haim said.

Haim says that his favorite part of diving is competing because he dives better under pressure and he is able to see his teammates from all over the country that dive on the US team with him every year.

“When you’re about to jump off the board, nothing is really going through your mind except all the training you’ve done and corrections you know you need to make,” Haim said. “We try to focus on everything we can control, and not think about the things that we can’t control.”

Haim broke his scaphoid, a bone in the wrist as a long term injury from diving. Haim was diving on a fracture for around two months until surgery, where a screw was placed in the wrist to keep the bone together. Haim will be in a cast for the next 4-5 weeks.

“It’s hard not being able to dive especially because I’m in season,” Haim said. “I’m going to miss the qualifying meet to nationals, but I am petitioning into nationals so I will hopefully still be able to go, it just depends on how my wrist is doing.”

Haim says that when he is working towards a competition, he tries to stay as relaxed as possible.

“I try to act like it is a practice so I don’t get super freaked out,” Haim said.