Latest / The Demia Avery Show / 16 year old diver, author and trailblazer, Sanaa B. Chege!

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16 year old diver, author and trailblazer, Sanaa B. Chege! · The Demia Avery Show

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this is the deia Avery show hosted by
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deia Avery with some of your favorite
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entertainers celebs and entrepreneurs
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come to highlight all of their many
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[Music]
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[Applause]
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talents hello hello hello everyone this
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is deia Avery of the demia Avery show
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and as you can see I have a great big
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smile on my face because we have
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something a little different today my
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first teenage guest on the show and I am
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also in awe of her I was reading a lot
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of stuff about her I can't wait to
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introduce her so listen Okay I'mma
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introduce her you all to everybody here
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my guest today is a future diving
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Olympian I'm putting it out there I'm
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putting it please welcome the 16y year
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old old author of a diver like me sonad
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Chey welcome you see I'm putting it out
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there for you girl got to be that
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Olympian how you doing today I'm good
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how are you I'm doing good so tell us a
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little bit about yourself tell us how
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you got interested in in diving as a
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sport um so I'm son I'm 16 I'm a junior
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in high school and I started diving when
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I was a freshman and I got into diving
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because I wanted to do a sport in high
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school so my mom uh was talking to some
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of the parents and on some of the
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parents from the swim team said that
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they needed divers so I decided that I
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would take classes for both cuz I liked
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being in the water and I just ended up
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liking diving better um okay okay did
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did you just like you saw somebody doing
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it you was like okay that looks cool let
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me let me just try that and and you
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tried it and you just liked it or how
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did you you know so um I took classes
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and it wasn't like necessarily I saw
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people doing it because like how it's
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like set up is like the people that like
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know what they're doing they like they
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dive like earlier in the day per se and
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then the high school classes are are
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like at night like is the last class so
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I didn't see anyone like I didn't really
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see people like diving that knew how to
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dive but um like I I did gymnastics
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before so I did gymnastics until I was
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in like fifth grade so I already was
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familiar with like some of the like
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things that you would do in diving so it
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just made the transition easier and just
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made me like it
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better okay well cool now when did you
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realize that you had a gift for it
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because look if I dive in the water I'm
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going down I'm going under so when did
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you know like you like okay this is not
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just diving this is something I I could
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actually do as a career when did you
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realize
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that um I don't I don't really know like
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I feel like when I first started diving
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in how I am now was like so different
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like when I first started diving like
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every practice like I would be forced to
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like try new things and I hated it so
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much like when we had a learn like a
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front flip I would land on my back every
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time and I want to quit like it sucked
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but like like the first couple Dives
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that you learn are are like they seem
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like they're the hardest Dives ever but
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they're actually like the simplest Dives
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and then it just set you up like to be
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better and work towards the harder Dives
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that just comeing after cuz with diving
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you know you just build up off of the
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like first stuff
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yeah but you know what I was going to
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ask you that later on and I'm glad you
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you you said that so do you have moments
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like
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okay you have what what are some of the
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you said what I don't even know what you
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said like the flip the front flip or
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something like that you have the easiest
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things to do and what is the hardest
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things to do and what are the easiest
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things to do you would say when you go
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in there you're like okay I don't even
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feel like doing this because this is
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this going to get on my nerve today what
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are what are some of the things that you
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would say that would be like that for
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you um well I could give you example an
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example so like when I first started
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diving every practice I knew that I was
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GNA have to do front flips because my
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coach was GNA make me and so I hated it
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so I would go in there like oh I don't
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know I have to work on but you know I
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got through it then front flips were
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easy so then I had to move on to do a
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front one and a half which is on your
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hands it was not the easiest dive to
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learn and I hated it and once I got it
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down you know I started to like it you
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know love hate relationship it wasn't
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that bad right but then I was trying out
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for like a competitive team and then the
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coach was like oh have you ever done it
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Pike I was like No And he was like well
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how about you try it so I tried it and
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then I had to keep doing that hated the
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dive but it's my favorite dive now so
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like keep going on I hate the dive but
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then I started liking it it becomes my
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favorite dive but one of the Dives that
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like when I go to practice and I don't
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have to practice I don't like is like
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like a front double which like two flips
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I don't like it because it to land on my
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butt so it hurts like I get better at it
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then it might be my favorite dive well
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we'll see yeah I love that I love that
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now do you get a lot of compliments from
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from your your classmates and things
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like that what are some of the things
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that they say when when they see you
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compete um
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um I would say like like when people see
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me dive like they say that I look
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graceful like I don't get too many
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compliments on my diving because like a
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swim me or like swim and dive me like
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it's not something that like people just
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go to like a football game or something
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so like you really have to like be your
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friends or like be your family to
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actually like come but like sometimes
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I'll show them like videos of me diving
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and then they'll say it's they like
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think that it's cool but they don't like
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exactly like understand like how hard it
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is people like underestimate like diving
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and just like like how difficult it is
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to like do some things yeah yeah but see
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then that's that's the thing see now
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that you you know that you're out there
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and you wrote the book which we're going
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to get more into is that when you show
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them that video and you show them how
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cool it is now maybe now that people
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will be like okay I'm going to to see
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this diving thing here you know so I
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think it's pretty cool that you're into
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it
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now at the age of
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16 you achieved a lot I was reading some
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of your accomplishments like you're a
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member of the Montgomery diving Club USA
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diving the um it says here the
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Montgomery County Public School
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Leadership Academy how do you find time
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for doing all the all these things
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because you're involved in an awful lot
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do you do you have to um sit down you
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have to write out everything like is
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your schedule like really
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tight um I wouldn't see my schedule is
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like super tight like like like um like
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last year it was like tighter because I
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was diving more like I was diving like
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like every day like going like multiple
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times a week but um and like like
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juggling it with like school and like
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everything else I just had to like put
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school first do all my work and then I
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put like diving second because I have to
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get better at diving because I'm
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competing and then you know the other
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things they weren't like like um the
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student athlete like the mcps thing that
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isn't like every day like it's it's like
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once every two months so we do stuff and
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then like other stuff that I was in like
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it wasn't like every day so it was
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easier for me to manage that and then
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also so this year it's been much easier
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kind of because I haven't been diving as
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much like I've I only Dove like two
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times a week because I had wrist surgery
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in the summer so like how to take it
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easy and so how to like learn like stuff
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so like it's been easier this year
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because I haven't had as much because I
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can't like push myself too hard how hard
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was that with your wrist injury for you
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was it frustrating for
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you yeah it was it was frustrating for
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me I didn't want to stop diving for the
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summer because like in the summer that's
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when you can go to all the camps and get
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better and meet new coaches and just
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like optimize like your diving ability
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but I wasn't able to do that last
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summer wow so what is it like when
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you're going into competition what is it
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a typical day for you son do like for
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training I don't I have no idea what you
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do for training so you get up in the
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morning and then what what do you do
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what is your what is your day like so
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like for a competition I don't I don't
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do that much like I I wouldn't do as
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much as I do in practice but um usually
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our practice our meets are in the
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morning or like in the early afternoon
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like 10 or like 12 so I would probably
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depending on the time I'll either eat
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breakfast or I'll bring breakfast with
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me and eat after I dive but I fill out
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my dive sheet which is all the Dives
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that I'm going to do so you do four
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Dives in the competition and then I
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stretch with my teammates and then I
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practice the Dives that I'm going to do
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on the board and then we just get into
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the competition and then I watch the
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swimmers for the rest of the hours
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there what are what do you do on those
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days that you don't feel like doing it
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because I know there have to be days
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when you don't feel like doing some
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training so how do you motivate yourself
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to get up and do some
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training
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um is that something that you tell
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yourself or you just like okay okay so
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now I got to get out this bed today I
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oh yeah definitely like um for school
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practice I have to get up at like 4:15
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in the morning because we practice at 5:
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a.m. then I have to go to school so I
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hate it so much I just like rot in bed
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for five minutes and I have to get up
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brush my teeth and then we get there and
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I sit on the bleachers and I just
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stretch and then I get on the board so I
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don't know like I I know that I have to
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go because if I don't want to go then I
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have to email my coach the night before
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but like if I do that I was like okay
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well I have to get up because I didn't
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tell him I wasn't coming so I have to go
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to practice I love it I love it now I
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know your mother plays a big role in in
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your career how does she help
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you um my mom helps me by she encourages
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me um like with my diving she like
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screams and shouts like after I dive um
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she also she also tries to coach me
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sometimes like you know you know like if
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you're like playing basketball or
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something your mom be like oh run faster
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like that type of coaching and then she
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also like just like provides everything
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for me like she pays for my swim suit
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she pays for you know the classes that
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I'm in and just like I wouldn't like be
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like this good at diving or just diving
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at all if she weren't like paying for my
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classes or pouring into
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me well let me ask you this so with with
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with you diving and all the attention
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that you're getting from you know the
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diving and the
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book does your mom still make you do all
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your your stuff at home like you still
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have chores and things like that that
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you still have to do the same things at
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home unfortunately like you would think
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that but I to do dishes but luckily when
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I had wrist surgery I didn't do dishes
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for three months like I
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lucky I'm in the same position now like
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I I'm don't I'm not doing dishes or
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anything so I don't do too much right
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now I just have to like clean up the dog
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stuff but like I don't have to like wash
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the dishes or take out the TR or I have
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to take out the trash just can't tie the
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bag just can't tie the bag okay what do
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you like to do when you're not diving
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what do you like to do I like to play
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video games I like sometimes I like to
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go go outside with my friends if it's
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not too hot or not too
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cold um I like to I like to go to the
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pool because I just like to be in the
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water like even when I'm not diving like
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being coached then I like to go dive
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just because like dive with my friends
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and I like to play with my
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dog and I just like to scroll on my
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phone like I just want to lay in bed and
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watch Instagram
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reals oh well doesn't everybody I do it
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I do it all the time so that that's
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awesome now is there anyone in the
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diving world I guess out there is there
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anyone that you look up
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to yeah so someone that I look up to is
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Kristen Hayden she Dives for the Team
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USA national team she she's a really
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good D I think she's the first um
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African-American to be on the nice
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national team nice okay how about any
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other sport is there any other sport
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that somebody else that you really look
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up to yeah my favorite basketball player
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is Jaylen Brunson okay nice
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nice okay tell me about the proudest
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moment in your your diving since you
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start diving do you have the proudest
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moment that she was just like yes this
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is this is so
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awesome
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um how about your first one how about
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your first
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one your first diving competition how
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did that how did that go do you remember
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nope you don't remember oh my
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gosh um I'll would say the proudest um
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thing that happened to me
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um I'll say is wait can I be right back
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can I get like can you give me like five
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seconds I want to go get
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something okay do it
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okay I'm back yeah okay so the proudest
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thing I'll say that happened to me when
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I was like in my diving career happened
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actually like two weeks ago so well it's
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it's a long story but I'm going to tell
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you it's I'll give you the short version
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okay so
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basically um so I've been dealing with
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like wrist issues like I've had a torn
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ligament in my wrist I've had two so I
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got one fixed this summer and then they
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realized that I had another one so I I
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had to get it fixed so this whole season
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I've been diving on like a torn ligament
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so it's been hurting a lot and I've been
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using like a bunch of KT Tape I've been
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wearing braces and like wi wrist braces
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so I
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competed maybe half the season but then
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you know one day I just had to like I
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just had to step down I like told my
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coach like I couldn't do it anymore
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because I couldn't like finish practices
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it hurt so bad and I
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just I had to stop so I stopped I still
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went to every meet cuz I'm a good
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teammate like I I'll support my team um
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so I went to the meet and and like the
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first meet that I went to that I was
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like not um diving they needed a judge
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so I had to judge so I was judging like
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my teammates and someone else so that
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was it was an interesting awesome yeah
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yeah and then the next meet um they
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wanted me to be the announcer so I had
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to announce the Dives and
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then that might be it but so I've been
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going to all the the meets and so there
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was this there's this award that I
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really wanted to get and it's called
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like it's called the Eagle Award because
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my school our mascot is a screaming
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eagle so I like really wanted this award
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and I was like man like I know I'm not
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going to get it because I'm not going to
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get it this year because I didn't
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compete the whole season and so I I was
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like so sure that like I was not going
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to get it and so I was like telling my
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mom I was like I really wanted I really
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wanted this to work but I know I'm not
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going to get it right okay so then we're
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at the banquet and I had to go use the
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bathroom so I ran to the bathroom and
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then I'm coming back and then the coach
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is announcing like the Eagle Award so
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then he's like he's like yeah so this
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these people have gone to practice um
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every every time I was like yes it's not
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me because I didn't go to Every practice
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because I wasn't I stopped
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like halfway through the season so he
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was like yeah they went to practice all
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the practices they went to all the meets
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and and this and that right and then he
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was like and you know I don't know if
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this will like um give away who it is
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but they were also a judge at one of the
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meets and I was like oh my gosh like
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that's crazy like is it me right and
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then so then he like said who the eagle
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Ward is for like it was for me and then
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my friend who's also a diver so it was
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crazy and I not think I was going to get
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the award but actually
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I actually got the actual plaque today
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yes
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awesome that's
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amazing sry you were smiling so you're
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gonna be smiling all
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day actually concert today so I have to
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smile that is amazing well tell us about
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tell us about the book tell us about the
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book that you have out and and why did
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you write it my book a DI like me it's
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about my experiences being a diver and
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how I'm under represented in my sport
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it's here some of the challenges that I
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faced um being a black diver in a sport
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that I'm
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unrepresented and
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um blinking yeah so it talks about all
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everything that you've been through as a
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diver yeah I love it so have you've
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gotten a lot of feedback from
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it yeah I've gotten a lot of feedback um
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from it and I've also so like some
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people have come up to me and said
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they're going to learn how to swim
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because it some people want to learn how
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to dive because because of it and some
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people just like the book because the
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main character looks like
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them now that's an interesting point I
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love that I love that now is there um
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you know where we can find the book is
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the the book on Amazon or on a website
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or something yeah so the book is on is
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on my website um Chey corner.com
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can get it there you can also get it on
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Amazon but it won't be um as good
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quality because they use different like
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printers and then also if you order it
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from my website I think you can opt to
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get it signed as well and we have um an
19:14
activity book that came out in December
19:17
and we have some other fun cool um uh
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things coming out on our website oh I
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love that I love that I love the design
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on the book hold that up again so we can
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take a good look at
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it I love it I love it
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amazing awesome well I want to thank you
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so much for coming on my show today
19:42
thank you for sharing everything I just
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love your energy I love you have such a
19:48
good heart I can feel that through even
19:50
through through this this uh screen here
19:53
so thank you so much for joining and
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anytime you want to come back if you
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write a second book you better come back
19:59
and you better share with us and I again
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I want to thank son for coming and make
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sure you guys go check out her book and
20:07
not just check it out we want you to
20:08
actually buy
20:10
it and I'm gonna make sure that I put
20:12
her website at the bottom so that you
20:14
guys can go check her out if you're
20:16
anywhere where she is go check out a me
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because we want people to actually come
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and and check out the meets right not
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just just hear you talk about it so we
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want to make this a big thing so anyways
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we are out of here guys and we'll talk
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to you later on the demia Avery show
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talk to you later byee