2008 Woodie Awards
Taking the big plunge
Profile: Passion a driving force for success for diver Wendell Perkins
By: Eva Allen
Issue date: 5/27/04 Section: Sports
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Fifteen years ago, Wendell Perkins never imagined that his love for splashing in the water would carry him to the state championships.
He came here in the spring of 2004, and after only one semester, has proved that his love and dedication for what he considers a hobby is the driving force behind his success.
"Diving has been a hobby of mine since I was twenty and up until now. I've done it off and on," the 35-year-old Richmond, Virginia native said.
However, he said his enthusiasm for swimming began as young as 2 years old when he took his first leap off the diving board in a family pool.
In the short span that Perkins has been here, he has managed not only to gain recognition in at least three major diving competitions, but he also broke the college's 6-5 dual meet record.
"In the dual meet, we do half dives and it's one team against another, so I ended up beating the old EC record of two hundred by forty-five points," Perkins said.
Not bad for a former teacher and coach who said he's "probably received more awards and recognition for art than for diving."
Adding further to his repertoire of accomplishments, Perkins took second place in the 3-meter and third place in the 1-meter diving at the recent state championships.
He won first place in the 1-meter dive at the South Coast Tournament, scoring a record 387.65, has been named diver of the year and is positioned in the Top 8 of the All- American Divers.
"I wasn't so sure if I would be allowed to dive in college because they have age restrictions in certain divisions, but once I found out I could, I was confident that I would win," Perkins said.
He said being overconfident might have affected him negatively. He said that being overconfident caused him to put forth less than his best effort.
But when it comes to having doubts about his performance, Perkins said there are times when he has to do some dives that he feels uncomfortable about. His biggest fear is getting injured.
He came here in the spring of 2004, and after only one semester, has proved that his love and dedication for what he considers a hobby is the driving force behind his success.
"Diving has been a hobby of mine since I was twenty and up until now. I've done it off and on," the 35-year-old Richmond, Virginia native said.
However, he said his enthusiasm for swimming began as young as 2 years old when he took his first leap off the diving board in a family pool.
In the short span that Perkins has been here, he has managed not only to gain recognition in at least three major diving competitions, but he also broke the college's 6-5 dual meet record.
"In the dual meet, we do half dives and it's one team against another, so I ended up beating the old EC record of two hundred by forty-five points," Perkins said.
Not bad for a former teacher and coach who said he's "probably received more awards and recognition for art than for diving."
Adding further to his repertoire of accomplishments, Perkins took second place in the 3-meter and third place in the 1-meter diving at the recent state championships.
He won first place in the 1-meter dive at the South Coast Tournament, scoring a record 387.65, has been named diver of the year and is positioned in the Top 8 of the All- American Divers.
"I wasn't so sure if I would be allowed to dive in college because they have age restrictions in certain divisions, but once I found out I could, I was confident that I would win," Perkins said.
He said being overconfident might have affected him negatively. He said that being overconfident caused him to put forth less than his best effort.
But when it comes to having doubts about his performance, Perkins said there are times when he has to do some dives that he feels uncomfortable about. His biggest fear is getting injured.