Suburban Life Athlete of the Week: Cooper Kosanovich, Nazareth, diving, junior

Name: Cooper Kosanovich

School: Nazareth, junior

Sport: Diving

Why he was selected: Kosanovich took second place in the state diving competition with a score of 508.85. He was voted the Athlete of the Week in an online vote.

Here is his Q&A with Sports Editor Joshua Welge.

You went from seventh place in the state last year to second this year. Did you match your expectations? What does getting second mean?

Kosanovich: Going from seventh last year to second this year surpassed my expectations. It felt so rewarding to place second in such a competitive meet. I train so hard and it made all the hard practices and long days worth it.

What were your goals going into the state meet?

Kosanovich: Going into the state meet I ultimately wanted to get top three, but I was not putting pressure on myself. I kept the thought in the back of my mind and really focused on just nailing all my dives and whatever the score was I would be happy with.

How did you get into diving and at what age? What do you like about it?

Kosanovich: I started diving when I was in eighth grade. I had previously been a gymnast and diving just clicked. One of my favorite things about the sport is the adrenaline you get from learning a new dive. Throwing dives off the board can be mentally challenging, but after you do it, a rush of happiness hits. You get the opportunity to constantly prove negative thoughts wrong.

What is practice like and do you go someplace to train?

Kosanovich: For me, practice looks very different because I do not have a high school pool or team. I practice three days a week at FMC in Westmont and two days a week down in the city at UIC. Sometimes it can be a lot, but at the end of the day my love for the sport makes it all worth it.

What do you feel is your best dive?

Kosanovich: I think my best dive is my front twisters. I do both a front 1 twist into a dive and front 2 twists into a dive and to me those are my favorite because they flow really well.

What’s next for you, diving-wise?

Kosanovich: Right now I am taking a week or two off and then jumping right back into club season. Spring and summer have a lot of bigger meets such as nationals and I hope to qualify for those meets.