Posted: 3/12/03

Chaussee places 14th in AA diving

Berk Brown
Sports Editor

Forest Lake junior diver Sam Chaussee did well at his first state meet. He has the bald head to prove it.

Chaussee was so sure he wouldnít make the top 16 that he bet his teammates he wouldnít. And if he did, they could do whatever they wanted with his hair.

So his teammates shaved it all off after Chaussee placed 14th at the 2003 Minnesota State High School League AA Boys Swimming and Diving Championships on Saturday at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.

ìThatís how much he didnít think he would get in (to the finals),î Forest Lake diving coach Deb Welch said.

Chaussee slipped slighly in the finals, going from 12th to 14th, but Welch said things really couldnít have gone much better.

ìHe was quite happy to be in the top 16,î Welch said. ìBeing his first year to state and everything.î

Welch said Chaussee could enhance his finish at state next year by adding more degree of difficulty to his dives.

If he does that, she said, he could really jump up in the standings.

ìWeíve already talked about that,î Welch said. ìItís amazing he did so well considering he only has about four dives in the 2.2 (degree of difficulty) range and most divers have only a few lower than that.

ìSam is just so slick and clean with his dives. Thatís why he made it so far. Next year heíll up the DD.î

Chaussee finished the meet with a score of 303.35. Brainerdís Shaun Kennedy set a new AA meet record with a score of 526.20 to take first place.

Chausseeís teammate Ben Johnson, who won the section title, finished 31st after battling an inner-ear infection which affecting his balance.

ìDid he dive up to his ability? No,î Welch said of Johnson. ìAt the section meet he dove up to his ability. Had he not had the infection and been able to dive up to his ability, he would have been tight up there in that 13th, 14th or 15th spot.î

Most importantly, Welch said, Chaussee and Johnson, both juniors, gained valuable experience.

ìNow theyíve been through it and know what to do with it,î she said. ìItís a tremendous boost for them.î

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