FAYETTEVILLE — Brooke Schultz spent just one season in the pool with the Fayetteville diving team.
Her mark on the program, and on the entire state, could last a lifetime.
Schultz was a freshman at Fayetteville Ramay, diving in her first year with the Lady Bulldogs. But it was also her last season with the team. Already a member of Team USA in last summer’s Junior Pan Am Championships, Schultz has dreams far beyond the high school ranks. So as soon as the Arkansas state diving championships concluded, Schultz and her family packed up and moved to Indianapolis to allow her to begin training for the Junior World Championships.
PROFILE
BROOKE SCHULTZ
ALL-NWA MEDIA
GIRLS DIVER OF THE YEAR SCHOOL: Fayetteville CLASS: Freshman EVENT: One-Meter Diving HEIGHT: 5-3 NOTABLE: Set Arkansas record with score of 638.07 at state diving championships, breaking previous mark of 506 set in 2010 by Sarah Chewning of Springdale High. … Schultz’s mark is also believed to be a national record for high school 1-meter diving. … Has moved with her family to Indianapolis to begin training at the USA Diving headquarters for the Junior World Championships, with hopes of eventually qualifying for the Olympics.
Before she left, Schultz made history not only in Arkansas, but throughout the country, when she scored a 638.07 at the state diving championships. That total not only blew past the previous high of 506, set in 2010 by Sarah Chewning of Springdale High, it also set a new national record for high school 1-meter diving.
For her efforts, Schultz is the All-NWA Media Girls Diver of the Year.
“I try not to pay attention to (the records),” Schultz said. “I’ve never tried to pay attention to the scores in any meet I’ve gone to. If I dive well and perform as well as I can, then I’ll be happy.”
Schultz has competed against the top divers in the U.S, and the world, in her age group. This season wasn’t necessarily about beating the competition as much as it was about having fun.
“It’s really cool to dive for Fayetteville and to be a part of a team,” Schultz said. “We had a really great team this year, with me and Lindsey (Rissinger) and Erin (Farrah) and I was just so happy to have this experience before I leave.”
Schultz dreams of one day diving for the U.S. Olympic team, and as one of the top 15-year-old divers in the world, those dreams might well be in sight. But outside of the pool, she is like anyone else.
“The best thing about Brooke is she’s so unassuming,” said Brooke’s father, Dale Schultz, a former dive coach at Arkansas who trains his daughter in the sport. “She never talks about it with her friends. They have no idea she’s doing any of this stuff or setting any kind of records.
“She’s just a typical kid when she’s with her friends.”
Fans of the sport of diving might not have known what they were actually seeing when Schultz first broke on the scene this high school season. But it didn’t take long to realize this athlete was something special.
With scores some 300 and 400 points above the competition, Schultz was more than just a top diver in the field.
She was a prodigy.
“As people look at her and get in the stands and see her perform, they see she’s one of those special athletes that schools get just every once in a while,” Bentonville swimming coach Nick Nersesian said. “Like a Corliss Williamson who came from Russellville. You have those athletes who just ignite a community and you pinch yourself when you see her. It’s just like, ‘Wow, this is the real deal.’
“It’s those special moments in life that the good Lord has blessed us with a child with some special talent. And she’s been nurtured by her mom and dad and taken to that high level, and it’s exciting to see.”
Schultz admits leaving her hometown of Fayetteville to join up with the USA Diving headquarters in Indianapolis isn’t easy. But following her dream makes the move worth every sacrifice.
“It’s a mixture of both,” Schultz said. “There’s definitely some sad moments to be leaving Fayetteville, but I’m excited to be chasing my dream.”