By Sean Savage
@SeanSav13
Balancing on the edge of the 3-meter springboard, Springfield College first-year diver Annabel Culbreth-Loomis locks her eyes on the water below, a quiet mantra steadying her mind: Nationals.
Culbreth-Loomis isn’t just diving for points – she’s diving for a dream.
“My goal this year is to get to nationals,” Culbreth-Loomis said. “Before I leave this college, I want to win nationals.”
Nine feet below, Springfield head diving coach Peter Avdoulos watches intently, his faith unwavering.
“More than anybody, she has the desire to be good,” Avdoulos said. “And she’ll work, work, work and that’s what a coach wants. Someone who will put in the time, effort and work hard.”
On Nov. 2 against MIT, Culbreth-Loomis delivered. She splashed into being the top finisher for Springfield, posting a fourth-place finish on the 1- and 3-meter board – a fine first collegiate performance.
A younger Culbreth-Loomis never pictured herself in the pool. For the first 15 years of her life, her world revolved around gymnastics, competing at Nationals and chasing perfection on the mat.
She grew up in Pelham, Mass., a quiet, rural town nestled in the Pioneer Valley, where gymnastics wasn’t just a sport – it was her identity.
“I had a lot of energy; there were always footprints all over my house because I was climbing on the walls,” Culbreth-Loomis said. “I’ve always been climbing trees, and my mom just put me in gymnastics.”
Training 20 hours a week propelled her to Nationals in her final year of gymnastics, but behind her bright performances on the mat, a different story was unfolding.
“I was just kind of done,” Culbreth-Loomis said. “It was so much work; my body and feet hurt; I wanted something new.”
Using her skill set in flips and twists, Culbreth-Loomis figured diving wouldn’t be too difficult. Her first experience with the sport was on Alden Street in the Art Linkletter Natatorium, on a club team headed by Avdoulos, Springfield Area Diving, which he has been coaching since 1987.
“I thought diving was horrible,” Culbreth-Loomis said. “I was just trying to do a dive to my head, and it was so difficult because you’re never supposed to land on your head in gymnastics.”
Her gymnastics instincts took over during her first dive, twisting mid-air as if on the mat – only to crash onto the water, sharply smacking her back against the surface.
“I was screaming and doggy-paddling around the pool,” Culbreth-Loomis said. “I wanted to quit.”
Culbreth-Loomis’ mother insisted for her daughter not to give up on the sport, striking a deal: if it didn’t work out again, she could quit.
“I went back, and I still hated it; I thought it was scary and horrible,” Culbreth-Loomis said. “But it wasn’t as bad as the first one. So I told myself I would keep coming as long as I liked it a little bit more each time.”
After two months of persistence, Culbreth-Loomis began to embrace the thrill of launching herself into the water. From her sophomore year through her senior year of high school, she honed her diving skills with Avdoulos by her side every step of the way.
“I saw a young woman with a great deal of talent,” Avdoulos said. “She’s very enthusiastic, and she loves diving. As a [college] coach, you ask what I look for and that’s exactly what I want.”
One of the biggest challenges in transitioning between sports for Culbreth-Loomis was not just a new physical skill set, but adjusting to the mental demands.
“Diving is scarier,” Culbreth-Loomis said. “Gymnastics was probably physically harder for me, but to get up on 3-meter and to dive toward the diving board, I think diving is just as much mental as it is physical.”
Culbreth-Loomis and Avdoulos developed a strong relationship during her time with Springfield Area Diving, based on an abundance of trust and was a connection that played a key role in her decision to stay at Springfield.
“I had some Division I offers for diving, but I didn’t like the feeling of being almost owned by the school by having my athletic performance be good for tuition,” Culbreth-Loomis said. “I like how there’s not that pressure here, and I like the atmosphere here.”
In her first few months on the team, Culbreth-Loomis has hit the water head-on, eager to showcase her skills.
“She stands as wanting to practice and wanting to be the first on the board and the last one off,” Avdoulos said.
She’s continued to work on the mental side of her game, employing a pre-meet routine that has paid off through the team’s first three meets as of Nov. 21.
“I’m really serious in the beginning; nobody really likes to talk to me before meets,” Culbreth-Loomis said. “I’m like, ‘Don’t talk to me, you can talk to me after.’”
Outside of the pool, Culbreth-Loomis is pursuing a degree in business management, a full-circle moment.
“I’ve kind of been an entrepreneur my whole life,” Culbreth-Loomis said. “I taught gymnastics in my backyard for four years, and I taught a diving clinic to my middle school kids – I like business.”
Culbreth-Loomis also ventured into a “little crafting business,” selling handmade heat packs. She learned the craft from her grandmother, Charlene, who runs her own Etsy shop selling similar heat packs.
“I like how here, it’s not just about sports, it’s about everything,” Culbreth-Loomis said. “I like having that balance in my life.”
Through it all, Avdoulos is confident in what lies ahead, seeing a future full of growth and potential for Culbreth-Loomis.
“You can just tell how excited she is about the process,” Avdoulos said. “And you can just tell she has a lot of goals in mind: It’s going to be a fun four years.”
Photo Courtesy of Annabel Culbreth-Loomis