Highland senior Calvin Cook is one of the best high school divers in the state.  In 2012, when he was only a sophomore, Cook placed second in state.  The following year saw Cook improve his state score three points and lock in fourth place.  This year he placed first in region, and third overall in state.

Although the Highland Diving team has grown smaller over the past few years, Cook has stuck with it.  His journey began at age eight, when Cook began diving at the Salt Lake Swim and Tennis Club.  At the time, Cook’s brother Tanner was a few years older and was developing a love for the sport.  This prompted Calvin to give it a try, and he has been diving ever since.

“I just decided to try it when I was like eight, and I won my first competition,” Cook said.  “So I decided to keep going with it.”

The first few years saw Cook diving mostly for fun, but at age 13 he joined a club team which traveled to Las Vegas for a Junior Olympic meet.  The meet featured some of the best youth divers in the US, showing Cook the level he would need to perform at if he really wanted to be competitive.

“I started actually progressing when I started club,” Cook said.  “That was pretty eye-opening, because your competition is pretty good.”

Since he was 13, Cook has trained with Mike Tuckfield, who was just hired to be the head coach of Highland.  Training with the same coach over the past five years has developed consistencies for Cook, and he has been able to grow as a diver.

On the women’s side, Highland dominated the state meet in 2013, with Maci Winn, Alli Kooyman, and Lauren Hansen all placing in the top ten.  Last year saw the loss of many key divers, but Highland was able to bounce back in 2015 and rank among the state’s elite.