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Friendship grows on a springboard
By STEVE LEE
© St. Petersburg Times, NEW PORT RICHEY -- They're supposed to be rivals, so why do River Ridge senior Karisa Marshall and Gulf sophomore Michelle Mendonca train together and root for one another during dive meets? Their reasoning is simple, and refreshing. Both want to win, but not at the expense of sportsmanship and helping each other strive for perfection. "We're really good friends," Marshall said. "We're kind of like teammates, but we're really not. We kind of wish we were on the same team." "We're in the same district (Class 2A, District 5) and we're competing against each other," Mendonca said, "but we want to help each other to make it to (the state tournament) so we know someone there." Under a special arrangement okayed by Gulf coach Linda Cassidy and River Ridge coach Athena Graham, Marshall often practices with Gulf diving coach Jerry Mancuso at the New Port Richey pool. "They're each other's competition," Mancuso said. "Training together actually makes them work harder." Marshall won last year's Sunshine Athletic Conference title with 283.5 points, and Mendonca placed third at 282. While Marshall is not about to concede her SAC crown to Mendonca or Land O'Lakes challenger Kaci Ressler, she would not complain if Mendonca came out on top. "I would love to see (Mendonca) win it if I didn't have a chance or I got hurt," Marshall said. Mendonca defeated Marshall on Oct. 26 and said "it made me have more hope for conference." Last year Mendonca noticed Marshall "was a really good diver and I wanted to be like her." Mancuso said both girls' techniques have improved, but he noticed a difference in Marshall when she began training this season at the New Port Richey pool. "She's a conference champion," Mancuso said. "Her twists are coming along and she's very serious when she's diving." Marshall, who spent two years in gymnastics, thinks Mendonca's seven years in gymnastics makes the Gulf diver the better twister. Mendonca agrees, saying Marshall "is more of a flipper." Mendonca also said Marshall is more daring on the 1-meter springboard. "I don't lack the ability to do the dives, but I have a lot of fear, so she helps me with that," Mendonca said. "And I help her. She's not scared to do (difficult dives), but some days she doesn't have the know-how." At the SAC meet -- the diving competition is Oct. 26 at the New Port Richey pool -- Marshall and Mendonca will root for each other, and neither will hide their cheers from teammates. "They know that we're pretty good friends, so they don't really say anything," Marshall said.
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