SID, ECC
A groundbreaking ceremony was held May 28 for the new consolidated West Clermont High School, with some 200 people attending the event. The 370,000 square foot, $90 million school, on 78 acres, will accommodate 2,500 students and is expected to open in time for the start of the 2017-2018 school year. It is an exciting time for the school district, to say the least.
More groundbreaking news has been happening around Glen Este and Amelia High Schools this winter, and in somewhat unfamiliar territory — on the diving board.
When people around Clermont County think of diving, their thoughts immediately turn to Pat Evans. The 1984 Glen Este graduate and five-time collegiate All-American at the University of Cincinnati won back-to-back OHSAA State titles (1 meter diving) in 1982-83 and 1983-84. Only Stacy Howell — five years ago — has competed for the Trojans since that time until last winter, the 2014-2015 season. A pair of Trojan divers even advanced to the district meet, as well as the finals of the Southwest Classic (the largest high school swimming and diving meet in the country).
Head coach Lisa Werwinski coaches the Glen Este divers, as well as divers from Loveland and Amelia High Schools.
For the first time in school history, Amelia will have a diver competing this winter. Freshman Morgan Southall, a competitive gymnast with no diving background whatsoever, is making quite a splash for the Lady Barons this winter. Southall scored a 190.95 in her first meet for the Lady Barons on Dec. 3 at Milford. She is a 4.0 student and is an active member of Calvary Free Will Baptist Church in Batavia.
She is enjoying her first year of high school and is looking forward to the new West Clermont High School. Her sister Abby, a junior at Amelia, will be in the last class to graduate from the old high school, and her younger sister, Emma, is in the sixth grade.
Glen Este will boast of pair of divers this winter, and expectations are high for both.
Bethany Berger, a junior, began diving last year and currently holds the Glen Este diving record for six dives. At the Dec. 3 meet at Milford, she finished just three points shy of breaking that record. She also won Saturday’s 26-diver Invitational at Mariemont. She hopes to break the eleven-dive record this season as well. She was also a competitive gymnast before transitioning to the water.
Berger is also a member of the cheerleading squad and the track team at Glen Este. Her cheerleading squad has qualified to compete at Nationals in February. She is vice president of HOSA (Health Occupational Student of America) and a member of Student Council. In her spare time, she teaches gymnastics classes at American Eagles Gymnastics in Milford, where she once competed. She is also active in Young Life and plans to attend college to pursue a career in the medical field.
Brennan Young is a sophomore at Glen Este and is a first-year diver. He is also a member of the Glen Este Dance Company and the track team. He enjoys running, weightlifting and gymnastics and tumbling. Young is also active in Young Life and is interested in psychology and hopes to be a counselor someday.
“As former gymnasts, Bethany and Morgan have adapted to the water quite quickly. While our focus during the first half of the season is on fundamentals and basic skills, I expect these girls to come on strong at the end of the season when it counts,” Coach Werwinski said. “Bethany has trained throughout the entire off-season and is ready to challenge for a trip to the February State Meet in Canton. Brennan has also started to pick up the basic skills and has shown great potential.”
What’s so neat about this story is that these three athletes are breaking ground together. Sure, Amelia and Glen Este High Schools are rivals, and will be for another year and a half, but this year they are giving us a glimpse into the future of West Clermont High School diving. However, this togetherness goes even deeper than just the two Clermont County high schools.
Bethany, Brennan and Morgan train closely with the Loveland High School divers who have adopted them as part of their team. Coach Werwinski praised the cooperation she has received from Tiger athletic director Julie Renner and the sportsmanship exhibited by these Tiger divers. Coach David Wolkoff, who coaches divers from Ursuline, McNicholas, Walnut Hills and Wyoming also works with the divers.
“These divers have a unique opportunity to train with kids from schools all over the Greater Cincinnati area,” Coach Werwinski said.
Over the summer, Coach Werwinski and Coach Wolkoff started a dry land diving program at Kids First Sports Center on East Kemper Road for divers of all ages and skill levels. The high school divers are able to train at the facility during the season, using the belts, trampoline, foam pits, spring floors and dry board. Most of the training and drills comes from Eastern Michigan University diving coach Buck Smith and Moss Farms Diving Club coach Chris Heaton, as well as video footage from USA Diving’s educational trip to China in 2014.
“I cannot express how grateful I am to have the ability to talk with and shadow these accomplished coaches on a regular basis. These kids are learning from some of the nation’s top diving coaches,” Coach Werwinski said.