Malvern Prep’s Nick Harris is Main Line Boys Athlete of the Week
The senior diver, a two-time All-American, last winter finished first on the Easterns Leaderboard by a considerable margin in both the 1 meter 6-dive (score of 347.70) and 1-meter 11-dive (score of 539.70). He finished first at National Catholics Jan. 16, and set the pool record at Penn Charter Jan. 18. Next winter, he will dive for the University of Texas, where he has been accepted into the McCombs School of Business.
Q: What is your most vivid memory of your dives for the Easterns Leaderboard last winter? What was the key to your success?
A: My best memory of these dives is hitting my 305c at both of the events. Those were odd meets without big leadup time and no one in the stands. I almost treated it like a practice with internal pressure. I hope to not have to do that again, but I’m glad we had the chance to do it.
Q: What (in your opinion) has been your best dive so far this season? What was the key to your performance on that dive?
A: My best dive so far this season has been 5152b on1m, front 2 1/2 somersault with a full twist, divers call it a full out. Very few high school divers can do it on 1m, you need to be quick through the twist and have power for the somersaults. With its high degree of difficulty, it can score in the high 60’s.
Q: What are your best dives, in order?
A: My best dives in order are 103b, 5152b, 107c, 305c, 205c, 405c.
Q: What aspect of your diving have you been working on the most recently?
A: Been working a lot on skills and the little things to help prepare me for the big dives, getting more power and height out of my hurdle, and getting stronger.
Q: What sparked your original interest in competitive diving? What coaches/mentors have been particularly helpful to your diving career?
A: I watched the Olympics and international meets when I was younger and found it very interesting. My current coaches, Todd and Tarra Michael, of TnT Diving, have been my biggest mentors.
Q: What, to you, is the major difference between indoor and outdoor diving competitions?
A: Outside is slightly harder because the sky is sometimes the same blue as the water so it can get confusing. On flipping dives, you have to determine when you come out of the dive, when you are doing 2 1/2 or 3 1/2 flips you don’t have much time to make the decision.
Q: What’s the coolest place you’ve ever dove from?
A: British Colombia, Canada in 2017 for Pan Ams.
Q: Take us through a typical workout session, both in the pool and in the weight room.
A: Typical workout sessions consist of stretching and a lot of reps. I sometimes use the weight room for certain workouts.
Fun facts – Nick Harris
Favorite book: And Then There Were None
Favorite author: Agatha Christie
Favorite TV show: Full House
Favorite movie: Deadpool
Favorite athlete: Steph Curry
Favorite pre-meet pump-up song: The Show Goes On
Favorite team: TnT Diving, or the Sixers
Favorite place to visit: Florida
Pre-meet preparation on the day of a meet: “I sometimes listen to music or I just like talking to people to zone in.”
Favorite pre-meet meal: Bagel
Family members: Parents Jim Harris and Wendy Niebler, sister Gigi Harris.
(To be selected as Main Line Boys Athlete of the Week, a student-athlete must first be nominated by his coach.)
