By Brent Glasgow
May 07, 2008 07:40 pm
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DANVILLE — High school athletes strive to improve their performance from year to year, and two-time Hendricks County Flyer Female Winter Athlete of the Season winner Whitney Adams has done just that throughout her Danville diving career.
As a freshman, Adams made the state finals after a third-place finish at sectionals and finishing fourth at regionals. A year later, she finished third at sectionals and regionals before earning 16th place at state. After taking county and conference titles, she won her first sectional crown as a junior, and after a fourth-place regional finish, took 10th at state.
Adams saved her best work for her senior year. She repeated as county, conference, and sectional champion before also taking a regional title and improving to a fifth-place finish at state.
Adams credited some extra work during the holiday season with helping push her to greater heights when the big meets rolled around this year.
“I came in and practiced a lot during Christmas break,” Adams said. “Usually we take a little break, but I came in with my (Indy Starz) coach and (Danville diving coach) Maureen (Stout), and I think I put in a lot more practice than I had in previous years because I knew it was my last year and I wanted to end it as best as I could. My goal was to finish in the top eight at state, so I was very happy.”
Adams admittedly went through quite a maturation process competitively from her freshman year to this season.
“When I went in (to state) as a freshman, I was really intimidated,” she said. “By my senior year I realized, ‘I’ve been here before and I know what the atmosphere is like.’ I was better prepared for it.”
Adams has been rewarded for her personal and athletic growth, and has committed to dive at Ball State University starting in the fall.
“I’m really excited,” she said. “We have a lot of big meets and travel to a bunch of different places. The coach and the girls are really nice. It’s gonna be great.”
With Muncie being a short drive away, Adams’ family will get to see her compete often.
“My mom’s already planning and figuring out her schedule to come to all of our meets,” Adams said. “It’s gonna be really good.”
Adams has also been a strong high jumper for the Danville track team. But even with excelling in two sports, she found time to be a cheerleader during football season.
“I’ve been a cheerleader since I was in middle school, and it’s just fun,” she said. “We’d go to camp in the summer and it’s just more social than something hard like my diving and track. My friends do it and it’s something fun before I start my intense seasons.”
Adams now seeks a strong finish in the high jump. After taking second in sectionals last year, she was disappointed with her regional finish and hopes to improve on that later this month.
Meanwhile, Adams said she will remember her time at Danville fondly.
“I’ll remember all of my diving accomplishments — the titles I won and records, hanging out with my friends, the prom, and stuff like that,” she said. “I think it’ll be really sad to graduate.”
brent.glasgow@flyergroup.com
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