Peyton Thurman steps onto the diving board. She makes her way to the edge of the board, bounces and dives into the water. She practiced daily, putting lots of hard work towards improvement into each day. After all of her time and effort during the season, Thurman made it to Districts where she placed second. Now she’s off to the State Finals, impressing the judges with her skills and bringing home an Ohio shaped bronze medal.

Thurman dedicates lots of time to her sport, and all the work she has put in has paid off as shown through her sixth place finish at the State Competition last year. In her sophomore year, Thurman placed thirteenth. In her junior year, she jumped all the way to sixth. 

Thurman has been diving for almost six years and has been diving for Revere for three years, where she is the only member of the diving team.

Thurman is a senior this year, so this will be her last season diving with Revere. She describes how being the only diver throughout her entire high school career has been for her. 

“My freshman year it was pretty hard . . . because I would show up alone at meets. But eventually I got used to it, and I started to make friends with people on other teams, so it was less difficult for me,” Thurman said. 

Thurman got a scholarship and recently committed to American University, where she will continue her diving at the collegiate level. 

Thurman explained how she felt about getting this scholarship and why she thought American University was a good fit for her. 

“I went on an official visit on September seventeenth through nineteenth, and I got to see what their team dynamic was like . . . It was an environment that I thought I would thrive in. I got an offer from them, and I was really excited. I figured that no other [college] would be better for me, so I decided to commit,” Thurman said. 

Club diving coach Marc Cahalane explained how he felt when Thurman got a scholarship allowing her to continue diving at American University in Washington DC.

“I thought it was awesome . . . She is a great student as well as an athlete. Being good enough to be able to dive in college is a very cool thing. It was really exciting; The rest of the coaches and I were all really happy for her,” Cahalane said. 

Aside from Revere, Thurman also dives year round for her club team, American Flyers Diving. Cahalane explained what working with Thurman is like in the years he has been coaching her. 

“She came on our team about three years ago. She is very hardworking and diligent, and she’s always trying to be the best diver she can be,” Cahalane said. 

Thurman’s high school coach Dan Miller described her as a passionate diver. 

“She’s somebody that’s easy to coach because she’s self motivated . . . She embraces hard work, and she’s somebody who loves the sport. She’s not just passionate about the sport, she’s also passionate about improving,” Miller said. 

This is Miller’s first year as a coach for Revere; however, he has been coaching Thurman since before the start of her junior year season. 

Thurman’s favorite memory from diving with Revere is going to districts last year, where she placed second. She described how having her club teammates’ support helped her during this meet. 

“A lot of people from my club team were at the event, and it was a fun thing for all of us. We were all cheering each other on,” Thurman said. 

Revere’s diving season started on October 29 and will end in February. She is currently practicing at The University of Akron’s natatorium. The State Competition takes place in February, nearing the conclusion of the diving season. 

Thurman explained what she is looking forward to during her last year of her high school diving career. 

“I am looking forward to having fun at meets and hopefully going to states again, and . . . getting higher than sixth place,” Thurman said. 

Since last year, Miller has gotten to work with Thurman and see how she has performed at meets and competitions. Miller believes that Thurman can go far with this season after all the time and dedication she has put into this sport. 

“Peyton’s definitely got a shot at one of those top three spots [at States],” Miller said. 

When Thurman is not at diving practice or learning at school, Thurman likes to hang out with her three dogs and make baked goods. 

Like many people during early quarantine last year, Thurman had a lot of free time. She started getting into baking over quarantine after watching the Great British Baking Show with her mom. During this time, Thurman would make confectioneries for her friends and drop them off at their houses during lockdown. 

Thurman explained why she enjoys baking as a hobby. 

“I like to [bake] in my free time and see what I can create . . . I am a neat and organized person, so I like how baking is kind of particular, and I like how there’s a science behind it,” Thurman said. 

Diving and being the only member of the team can be stressful, and baking is a release of that stress for Thurman. 

Just like in baking, diving also has a recipe. In baking, she may use ingredients such as flour and eggs. In diving, Thurman uses ingredients such as practice, drive and motivation to get the outcome of improvement in her sport