From ground to water

CEDAR RAPIDS - For most girls on the Cedar Rapids Kennedy swim team, practice consists of doing laps and trying to beat their best time in the freestyle.

But for diver Grace McDermott, practices include working on core strength and improving new and current dives.

McDermott, a junior at Xavier, has competed in gymnastics for eight years, which influenced her decision to dive once she stopped gymnastics.

'Having a background in gymnastics has helped me immensely in diving because it is most of the same motions,” McDermott said. 'Instead of landing on the ground, you land in the water.”

Kennedy divers practice six days a week for multiple hours, morning or night.

'My favorite part about diving is the friends I have made doing it,” McDermott said.