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03/22/2018 12:00 AMMary Huminski spent a good portion of her athletic career as a gymnast, but after trading the mat for the pool, she’s used her ability to twist through the air to create a big-time splash at Hand.
Mary grew up doing gymnastics for more than a decade, although she dealt with several injuries that cut short her career in the sport. However, in Mary’s sophomore year at Hand, a friend of hers encouraged her to try diving for the Tigers.
After missing the girls’ swimming season due to an ankle injury, Mary pushed herself to get back to 100 percent just in time for the boys’ season this winter. Mary’s dedication paid off as the junior took second place at the SCC Diving Championship with a score of 336.3 points to earn All-SCC honors for the Tigers, who finished as the runner-up at the meet for the first time. She then placed 13th at the Class M State Championship, while helping Hand take second as a team, marking its best finish at a state meet in program history.
“I was seeded 5th going in, which was pretty high, but I was hoping to push it,” says Mary on her performance at the SCC Championship. “I did try some new dives to increase my difficulty, and I felt good in warm-ups. I did OK on my first few dives, but then I started to get into a rhythm around my fifth one. It was my last two dives that put me in second. It was a fun competition.”
Mary is also a horseback rider, and she endured her most recent injury while competing in that sport by tearing ankle ligaments that required two surgeries. It was a difficult setback for Mary, but last fall, she got back to the grind and started working toward her goal of joining the Hand boys’ swim team for her junior season.
“I started training in October after my surgeries and did little things. I got more into training for diving by mid-November and early December,” Mary says. “It was rough at first. My ankle was super stiff, but I got to know my ankle’s limits, and it worked out.”
Mary received a lot of support throughout her road to recovery. Mary says that her teammates and coaches always have her back every step of the way, even when she sees the occasional stumble.
“This team has been so supportive. I was nervous at first, but everyone is so encouraging, even after a miss on a dive,” Mary says. “It all worked out. Everyone is just so real on this team. The coaches are so supportive of everything I do and give me a lot of freedom.”
Mary adds that her background in gymnastics has provided her with some of the fundamental skills that have helped her thrive as a diver.
“Gymnastics taught me discipline and gave me a good basis for diving,” says Mary, who also participates in outdoor track at Hand. “The slightest adjustment in the air really matters and requires balance and strength. I also love incorporating flips in dives.”
Hand boys’ swimming and diving Head Coach Christina Forristall says that Mary exudes competitiveness on the diving board and displayed tremendous determination when she was rehabilitating from her injury to get back out there.
“Mary is one of the most competitive athletes I know. She sets a goal and there is no getting in her way. She is also very resilient. If she does not land a dive to the best of her ability, she has an amazing ability to let that dive go, and not let it affect the rest of her dives,” says Forristall. “This past summer, Mary shattered her ankle. There was no way she was going to be strong enough to dive for the girls’ season. For some, this might seem intimidating, but not Mary. She used it to push her and make her a stronger competitor.”
Mary credits her Tigers’ teammates for working hard to help the squad go 10-2 during the regular season and then turn in a historic postseason showing this year. With one more year still to go, Mary wants Hand to strive toward reaching the next level of success in 2019.
“The success is a credit to the boys on the team. They put in so much effort to further themselves,” says Mary, who thanks Hand diving coach Chris Bergere, Forristall, and her Hand teammates. “There is this hunger for success with our team. We are completely in it for ourselves and the whole team.”