Shattering old records and replacing them with new targets, a female diver named Carli Merchant at Warren Central High School has broken her very own record. The senior’s previous record was 247.95, and she broke it during a meet on Nov. 30 at by getting 300.2 for six dives.
“It was a very surreal experience, and I felt like my hard work had finally paid off,” Merchant said. “Honestly, I still haven’t processed, and I’m mainly focused on getting better instead of the record itself.”
Merchant has been diving for six years. Her favorite thing about it is the bigger tournaments.
“Really I just make sure I am prepared for the big meets the night before and packed and making sure I am not in my head and just know exactly what I am supposed to do,” she said.
According to Merchant, the most influential person in her diving career has been her coach, Ray Porter.
“He has been one of my only coaches the entire time that I have been diving,” she said.
Porter has coached Merchant for seven years. He said that from his earliest days with her, he knew she had a lot of potential. As a senior leader on the team now, he said she works hard and expects the same from her teammates.
“Carli is an intelligent, strong, and adaptive athlete,” he said. “Being able to have the self awareness to make critical changes is definitely a strength for her. She loves the sport of diving, and that makes the rough days to move on from.”
Not only is she a record breaker in diving, but she also does wrestling for Warren Central.
“I think it is really fun to do both,” she said. “It is really an experience that I got to have.”
As Merchant prepares to end her Warren Central diving and wrestling careers, she is working to pass the torch to younger athletes like freshman Amber Duong.
“I would describe her as kind and very outgoing, because this one time she helped me through a meet, and I got really good scores,” Duong said.
As far as Merchant’s future, she does not plan to continue diving outside of high school because she wants to focus on her education. Before she leaves, though, she hopes to place at the state level.
“I think my best advice for others is to keep working hard, especially on the days that you don’t want to, and to continue to love what you do,” she said.