When a diver steps onto the board during a meet, it’s silent. The stereotypical mom in the stands waving her arms wildly above her head, shouting her child’s name, is replaced with a tight smile as her athlete prepares to leap towards the water. It is not until after the divers head sinks below the pool’s surface that sound erupts in the natatorium.

In his freshman year, senior Pierce Brooke not only made it to State, but placed fourth in diving overall. He’s only improved since then, taking the first place title at the State Meet this year. He first got involved with the sport after it was suggested to him by one of his coaches.

“When I was younger, I was doing gymnastics and swimming at the same time,” Brooke said. “One of the swim coaches noticed that I was particularly good with starts from the blocks and recommended diving to my mom. From there on, I tried diving and really enjoyed it.”

Brooke started diving in the summer after third 3rd grade, adding up to nine years of the sport. He has been on the Cedar Park high school dive team all four years of high school. 

“One of the things I really enjoy about diving is the feeling of flipping and feeling weightless in the air,” Brooke said. “There are other benefits of diving that I really enjoy, such as specific workouts that we do and the fact that we do not have to wake up early in the morning for practice.”

Diving challenges both the body and the mind, he said, and the mental aspect of the sport is one of the hardest parts of diving.

“There are a couple of challenges to diving that really make or break the sport for you,” Brooke said. “The first one is that the sport is about 90% mental. Your ability to flip and make corrections are only part of the process of getting better at diving. Everything is dependent on how much you are willing to change and how much you are willing to overcome your fears.”

Although diving is an individual sport, an athlete is still provided with many opportunities to grow together with a team and build relationships with teammates, says Brooke.

“I have one role model right now and it’s one of the college divers currently on the team,” Brooke said. “Before he was my role model and occasional coach, filling in for my coach [when he is] out, he was my teammate. He has grown a lot as a person and diver and I have a lot of respect for him, not just as a role model, but also as a friend.”

Brooke has been accepted to the University of Texas at Austin to dive on the team, but said he does not have any goals for diving beyond college.

“Now that I am part of the UT Swimming and Diving program, I realize that there is something great about going in and getting better and being a part of the team,” Brooke said. “It is unlike many other sports out there, as diving is an individual sport, but everyone is there to get better and help you get better along the way.”

In addition to his UIL State win, Brooke also attended the USA Junior Nationals for diving every year of high school, once placing fourth in the semi-finals on 1m springboard, beating a former national champion. He has also been to the Junior World Trials and made it to the finals of the meet, but none of these are what he considers his greatest accomplishment.

“In my honest opinion, being asked to join the UT Men’s Swimming and Diving program is my greatest achievement that isn’t a medal or meet that I have attended,” Brooke said. “Diving for so many years and sticking with it has finally paid off and it is something that I could not be more happy about.”

Over the years, a lot of people have told Brooke that he makes diving look easy, when in reality, it isn’t.

“For a while, I wanted to quit diving and do something else just because I hated the sport so much,” Brooke said. “It was scary, it was hard, and there were so many factors playing into why I wanted to quit. Without having a reason to continue, going into practice six days a week for three hours at a time just becomes really hard.”

Despite the difficulties, Brooke continued diving because of the friends he made along the way, he says.

“The most memorable [moments] are creating friends and family along the way that are not just part of diving, but part of your life in and out of the water,” Brooke said. “I have made amazing friends throughout the years and continue to meet more amazing people and it is this one aspect of the sport that keeps [me] diving.”