Photo taken from Lexington Athletics website
Noah Fryou ‘23 doesn’t remember why he decided to pursue diving in the first place. Now a diver on the Skidmore Swim and Dive team, the first year shares his experience with diving and how it changed his life, as well as his hopes and goals for the upcoming season.
“I thought it was a cool sport and thought why not try something new,” explains Fryou. “Diving is a smaller sport when you compare it to some other international sports, so you have the opportunity to meet many people from around the world.”
Diving at the collegiate level wasn’t always on the talented diver’s mind. “When I originally started diving, continuing in college wasn’t on the horizon for me. It wasn’t until early my senior year that I gave it a thought.” Through the coaches influence, he decided to pursue diving teams at colleges he was already interested in. And that led Fryou right to Skidmore.
Fryou attributes his decision on attending Skidmore to the niceness of everyone he encountered on tours and the fact that professors are very skilled and knowledgeable in their field. He adds that he had a great time with the Swim and Dive team on his recruiting trip and thought it would be a great fit for him. Fryou intends to major in political science with a minor in chemistry and biology. He hopes to find a good balance between school and academics that will allow him to excel on the boards and in the classroom.
When asked what the hardest challenge he had to face with diving, Fryou responds, “I have always been a very independent person and always liked doing stuff on my own. Learning to trust someone else to teach me and give me calls when I’m spinning and twisting in the air was difficult.” Additionally, having a bad failed dive or getting hurt makes Fryou want to quit sometimes. Learning to overcome injury from smacking the board or the water, and focus on his end goals is what keeps him diving.
Although very challenging, Fryou boasts about the sport and how even when competing, there are opportunities to meet great friends: “One of the best parts about diving is you get the chance to meet so many amazing people. Some of my best friends are from diving.”
Fryou also adds that he loves the rush of adrenaline he gets while diving, especially after completing a difficult dive. His favorite dive is the inward dive pike, which he likes because of the “extreme simplicity of it.” He mentions that although it might be simple, if not executed correctly, the dive won’t look right and a diver might hit the board.
“There are very few sports in which someone is spinning and twisting in the air,” says Fryou. “Because of the nature of the sport, learning how to do tough dives and having the thrill and courage to maneuver your body in the air, while trying to land correctly, can be very challenging but very rewarding. ”
As the men’s diving team starts their season, Fryou has his eyes set on accomplishing new dives. Although he still gets an “iffy feeling” in his stomach when competing, Fryou can’t wait to join the other divers on the team and compete in the sport he loves.
“I love diving. Diving is a very mental sport so I assume the ‘iffiness’ is just a gut feeling that reminds me to remember what I have been taught and not to stress.”
As for goals this year, Fryou hopes to improve in general and become more confident on the boards. He credits all the coaches and amazing people he has met through diving for his success. It is not hyperbole when Fryou says, “Diving for the last three years has been one of the best decisions I have made.”