Photo by: Devin Pitts-Rogers
Diver Seth McNew loves to entertain and perform. That’s why jumping off an 80-foot-high platform while twisting and flipping through the air is right up his alley.
Last summer, McNew worked exclusively as a high and springboard diver in the marine show at Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City Beach, Fla. He happily performed alongside sea lions and dolphins and was featured diving from a 4.5-meter board and an 80-foot-high platform. College competitions regulate the boards at 3 and 1 meters, but for McNew every dive is a thrill.
This is McNew’s second diving season at DU and second year at the school even though he is a junior. He spent his freshman year at University of Maryland, but decided to transfer to the Daniels College of Business.
“Mostly I enjoy the performing aspect of diving. We practice really hard and it’s nice to come to a meet and only do six dives on each board, so it’s really like a small performance,” said McNew.
McNew has also been performance diving at Casa Bonita, a famous Colorado restaurant, for years. Casa Bonita features traditional Mexican food with entertainment such as cowboy shootouts, escaping gorillas in the fun center, and wandering mariachi bands, but most people go for the cliff diving. For McNew, it is an honor to be featured as a person who swan dives into a deep tank of water to the “ahhs” of admiring watchers.
“It’s definitely an experience. Diving at Casa Bonita is a little more risky than normal diving.The dives are short and off a rock. Safety is always a concern, and Casa Bonita is always a thrill because you never know what will happen,” McNew said.
McNew’s career began a few minutes away from Casa Bonita when he began diving at the end of his junior year at Lakewood High School. He had never competitively swam or dived before then, but he knew it would be something he would enjoy.
“I like to jump on the trampoline and I thought it would be the same thing. It kind of was the same thing, so it was cool,” McNew said. “I really didn’t do gymnastics or anything before though, so it was my first experience doing those types of moves in the air, except of course when I was jumping on my tramp.”
McNew wants to be a show diver in China for a few years after he graduates, so he is majoring in international business with a minor in Chinese. After a few years of diving, he hopes to enter the business world in China as well.
“I’m going to make lots of moolah,” said McNew about his future.
In addition to diving, McNew continues to go “trampolining” frequently, plays tennis and is a member of his own intramural broomball team.
“Our team is going to the championship. The last game we won 12-2, no big deal,” said McNew.
Even if McNew’s broomball season does not turn out to be as successful as he wants, his diving season will likely be.
Last season, McNew placed third in the 1-meter dive at the School of Mines Invitational with a score of 280.72 and also took third in the 3- meter dive at George Mason University’s Patriot Invitational. With the experience he gained last summer, this season could be interesting.
DU’s diving team has two divers, McNew and senior Cody Stambaugh. McNew said the two divers enjoy a friendly rivalry.
