Passmore Jumps At Chance As Bentonville Diver

— It was a different kind of jump that led Austin Passmore to receiving an invitation as a diver on Bentonville's boys swim team, then he jumped at the opportunity.

"I thought I could be decent at it," the senior said. "It looked enjoyable. I've watched it on TV, and when I was asked, I researched it.

PROFILE

Austin Passmore

SCHOOL: Bentonville

CLASS: Senior

HEIGHT: 6-0

WEIGHT: 147

NOTABLE: Finished sixth in the state as a diver in his sophomore year and fifth last year. … Took third place in last week’s North District meet. … Was a member of the football team, where he was a backup receiver. … Son of Bentonville athletic director Scott Passmore.

"I thought I could do it, and it was another way to win a state ring. So when I joined, I really enjoyed it."

Passmore (6-foot, 147 pounds) had the athletic background to help him make an easy transition to a diver. He had played football for a number of years, and he also did some gymnastics when he was younger.

But Tigers coach Nick Nersesian got the idea about asking Passmore to join the swim team after he heard a story about him -- and it came from his father, Bentonville athletic director Scott Passmore.

"His dad and I were talking, and his dad was telling me how Austin loves gymnastics and always on the trampoline," Nersesian said. "One day, he jumped off the roof onto the trampoline and into the pool, and of course dad isn't too happy about it, but he remembered the story and said I might want to ask Austin about it.

"At the time I was looking for some male divers to expand the program, so I did. I asked Austin and said I heard he did some of this stuff, and he bought into it. I think he's had fun with it ever since."

The younger Passmore started diving practices in the summer of 2011, just before his sophomore season. He admitted he was a little nervous before his first meet as he worried that any minute detail could go wrong, such as a slip on the board.

He overcame those fears and progressed nicely throughout his career, finishing sixth in the state as a sophomore and climbing one spot to fifth last year. He finished third during last week's North District Meet at the HPER Building.

"That first meet wasn't as bad as I thought," Passmore said. "It's even better now because I'm more comfortable with the dives.

"At first, some of those dives can be sort of scary if you see the board when you're coming down. But as I became more comfortable, I became more consistent."

The biggest hurdle Passmore faced was finding the time to practice diving, especially when he was also heavily involved with football at the same time. He said he made it a point to get in some diving practice any time the football team ended a practice session early.

It didn't take long before Nersesian found out he had picked up a little bit more than just a diver in Passmore, who he calls "the most fun-loving member of the team."

"With Austin, on any given day, you don't know what you're going to get," Nersesian said. "He's fun and courageous. You'll catch him dancing on the board, and he has a good time with it.

"But he's almost like having a mini-coach there. He's the one that found Terrell Palmer and said I should ask him about it, and Terrell won the district diving competition. Austin was right behind him and happy about it. He thought it was cool."

Now Passmore is about to embark on his final dives when he takes part in the Class 6A/7A State Championships, which takes place Friday and Saturday in Little Rock. It marks an end to a season that he admitted went by way too fast.

"It's crazy that after next week, my high school athletic career will be pretty much gone," he said. "My goal is to hopefully stay in the top three at the state because I know that's where I should be. It's pretty crazy to think about how fast it's gone."

Sports on 02/24/2014

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