Jumping off a platform more than three stories tall is understandably unnerving, even for those who choose to do it on a regular basis.
For competitive divers at LSU and around the world, jumping from a 10-meter-tall platform is part of the sport. Even though the 10-meter dive is the highest competitive dive, it’s no more important than other dive heights in terms of scoring.
The 10-meter dive likely isn’t the first jump a potential diver attempts, but it’s eventually part of the job.
Freshman diver Alex Bettridge vaulted herself into the LSU record books in her first collegiate meet with a 318.0-point performance on the 1-meter dive — 13.15 points off the LSU women’s record and good enough for sixth all-time. Bettridge, who started diving when she was 7 years old, said she still thinks about the height.
“You know you’re not going to die or anything, but at the same time you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I could hurt myself,'” Bettridge said. “Compared to swimming where it’s, ‘I hope I go fast,’ diving is like, ‘I hope I don’t die