The Westside Dive Team is a very experienced group. Coach Katy Saalfeld puts in hard work that sometimes goes unnoticed but shouldn’t. She works hard with every diver to help make the team as a whole better. Along with Westside having a great coach, Saalfeld they also have great senior leaders. 

“This group of seniors provides exceptional leadership. They are consistent in attendance and work ethic. They continue to push themselves to get better and I think this encourages the younger and newer divers to do the same,” 

Coach Saalfeld said she loves coaching diving and is very compassionate about it.

 “The divers themself make the coaching fun. Each athlete has a unique personality and they are fun to be around. They support each other but also hold one another accountable,” Saalfeld said.

 Along with having a great team to coach, she said the divers perform very well come competition time.

 “We have top ranking divers and beginning divers. Each diver has different individual goals, but each continues to work on becoming more competitive. I am proud of each of them. I enjoy helping them face the challenges associated with this sport and knowing how proud of themselves they are when they ultimately overcome those challenges and realize the hard work was worth it. I am excited to see how they continue to develop through the last parts of the season,” Saalfeld said.

One of those seniors and top fivers  is David Goodwin. He is a standout in diving, baseball and show choir, just to name a few. David Goodwin said he loves being apart of the dive team.

 “I’d say the seniors have helped create not only a fun environment for the underclassmen but also motivate them to get better. Being a diver at Westside is a one of a kind experience. Our coach, Katy Saalfeld, does a lot for us and everyone on the team contributes something special. I think what makes diving so fun is the rush of throwing a really difficult dive. The dive bond is strong and you should never try to cross the team. One thing you should know about dive is that it’s a lot more challenging than you think, there’s a lot that goes into it than just jumping off a board,” Goodwin said.