Diving for Great Britain- Scarlett Mew Jensen
My name is Scarlett Mew Jensen and I am 16 year old GB diver who trains at the London Aquatic Centre.
My European Championship experience:
I arrived at The Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh and was given a key to my room at the University which was a minute away ; ideal for those early morning training sessions.
I was excited and nervous to be alongside the most competent diving athletes in Europe; an amazing experience to train beside let alone compete.
The GB team were SO supportive and made me feel as relaxed as possible.
After a week of practise on the boards , resting, eating light but nourishing food and sleeping in between, it was time for the competition to begin.
It was brilliant to have a home crowd behind me as I prepared for my event ; my team mates helped to keep me grounded too.
On the day of my event I had a bowl of Porridge, a coffee and plenty of water to keep me hydrated.
I arrived at the pool for an 8am start, before a short breather and then back in the pool for a couple of hurdle steps and my first opening dive.
The atmosphere was incredible with high security, large screens and cameras watching my every move. I was start number one which was to be an extra challenge !
Beginning my debut Senior diving career as the first in the queue was nerve wracking…. even if it went well I knew the judges would have nothing to base their scores on; but I was determined to do my best while my heart raced.
My first and second dives were steady, however the nerves got the better of me and the next two dives didn’t go as well as I had hoped.
My final dive was my best and most confident; I was determined to give 100% regardless of the outcome! It went well but sadly wasn’t enough to get me into the final.
I was disappointed of course but I also felt so privileged to compete and I knew that this competition had been at the end of a long competition season for me.
My coach agreed that gaining experience for the future should be the priority and that I should focus on the positives!
I will continue to train and compete in between studying for my A levels, working hard to be selected for more Senior and Junior competitions around the world.
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