Diver Jacobson Makes Big Splash

You are a freshman, one of two divers on the Harvard women's swimming team. You are certainly among the elite 10-meter platform divers in the country, perhaps even among the top three. You have enough talent to make it to the United State Olympic Trials or maybe even to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, GA.

Your life's pretty close to perfect, right? Wrong. Your life is pretty close to hectic. Why? Although you are among the nation's finest, Blodgett Pool's lack of a 10-meter platform severely limits your ability to train in Cambridge. Instead, you must find other means and other locales--traveling five days early to a tournament, perhaps--to hone your skills.

If your fit this description, then you are Lara Jacobson of Hollis Hall and Austin, TX.

Jacobson, who has only been diving since her sophomore year of high school but had 12 years of prior gymnastics experience, has had a pretty chaotic time of it over the last week. Jacobson, a slave to a grueling schedule that fuses competition, practice and homework, competed in the Phillips 66 Indoor National Diving Championships last Wednesday and Saturday.

And she performed astonishingly well. With only four days to practice on the 10-meter platform, Jacobson placed sixth in a field of 36 dives, stockpiling 411.69 points in two days worth of competition. Patty Armstrong, a non-collegiate competitor from the private Woodlands Diving Team, garnered 451.74 points and first place in the competition.

"I don't think I was surprised but I was definitely pleased [with Jacobson's performance]," says Harvard diving coach Keith Miller. "Since she does not train on the 10-meter platform regularly, I thought that it could go either way. If she hits her dives, she can be in the top three [in the country] or better in this event."

Jacobson left for the Championships a week ago Friday to prepare for the 10-meter tower. Further complicating matters was the fact that because the event was not connected to the NCAA and took place out of season, Harvard could not finance the trip. Both Jacobson and Miller paid for expenses out of their own pockets.

"I didn't represent Harvard because it was not a collegiate event," Jacobson says. "[Harvard coach Miller] did take me down there, however."

"In order to finish preparing, we went down there five days early," Miller says. "[Lara] dove on the 10-meter Saturday, rested Sunday, dove on Monday, then rested Tuesday. You need all that rest because when you're not used to diving from 10 meters, it makes you very sore because you hit the water so hard."

The Championships, held in Midland, TX, attract the best divers--both collegiate and non-collegiate--in the nation. The event is a semi-yearly opportunity to gain points (which are accumulated by finishing in the top eight at national tournaments) in the national rankings. If a diver can accumulate four points, she is sent to the 1996 Olympic Trials.

The phenomenal thing about Jacobson's performance at the Championships is that it gives her three points in the national standings. And, with the summer's outdoor championships and next year's Phillips event still between the Olympic Trials and now, Jacobson has plenty of time to score that final point by placing in the top eight at either event.

"My finish means that I may have to opportunity to travel internationally this summer," says Jacobson, who was 12th at this year's NCAA Championships in Indianapolis, Ind. but finished third among collegiate competitors at the championships. "The U.S. will probably send me to a national training camp."

Although rumors have been swirling around Hollis Hall that Jacobson is "going to the Olympics," that in fact is not the case.

"The Olympics are a long ways away," Jacobson says. "I would be just happy to qualify for the Olympic Trials. That would just be an amazing experience for me. Only two divers are taken to the Olympics. There not even a guarantee that I'll make it to the Olympic Trials yet."

Although there are no guarantees about a shot at the Olympics, Jacobson seems singularly focused on the goal. So focused, in fact, that the freshman will take the 1995-96 school year off to train.

"I am going to take a year off from school to dive," says Jacobson, who took a second and a fifth at this year's Eastern Championships. "I want to see how far I can go in diving. I want to see how far I can go in diving. I want a year that I can concentrate on only diving--and not academics and diving."

"We'll miss her next year," Miller says. "But we still have a very strong diver in Kara Miller, We'll miss Lara in terms of depth and in terms of representing Harvard at the [NCAA] National Championships."

Don't worry, coach. Just think back to the last Harvard athlete to take a year off because of Olympic dreams--Ted Drury, who took off 1991-92 to play in the Olympics. Drury came back to lead Harvard to Collegiate glory--its first NCAA Tournament appearance since it won the national championship in 1989. And while Harvard diving might not have a tradition as rich as hockey's to return to, Lara Jacobsen is one diver who just might lead Harvard diving to high places it has never been before.