Calm, cool, collected, confident. That is how one might describe Maya Salvitti on the 1-meter board in the City Diving Championships at Maggie Gilbert Aquatic Center last Wednesday.
Showing why she is taking her talents to UCLA in the fall, the Palisades High senior was a picture of concentration in her final meet.
“I was a little upset with my performance since I fell in on one dive, but I was still pretty happy to win City,” Salvitti said. “We do 11 dives. The one I was most confident with at finals was 105b or a front two-and-a-half pike.”
Salvitti trains at Los Angeles Dive Club and wanted to make the most of her last chance after taking second as a freshman behind teammate Alexis Kleshik in 2018. She was injured and unable to compete her sophomore season and there was no high school diving last year because of the coronavirus.
“I’ll be a diver for UCLA next year and may be able to start diving with the college team this month, which is exciting,” added Salvitti, who always wanted to be a Bruin.
Placing third was Dolphins 10th-grader Catherine Hart, who looks up to Salvitti and hopes to win City herself some day: “I love practicing with Maya, she’s incredible and I learn a lot from her. We wished each other luck beforehand. I felt most confident on my inward dive pike. I was satisfied with my dives. I didn’t try anything new. I make sure to check the fulcrum, tie my hair back and take a deep breath. Winning City is something I’d like to accomplish in the next two years.”
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