On eve of state, diver Wismer healthy and hungry

Blue Valley diver Lauren Wismer admits there were moments when she wondered — understandably so — whether she should continue with her sport.

A dislocated left shoulder the summer before her junior year led to surgery that September. A right knee injury that winter ultimately required surgery in April and kept her out of the state meet. And yet a third surgery followed this past November for an injured right shoulder.

“Yeah, I definitely questioned it,” she said.

Just never too seriously. Wismer, who plans to dive in college at Illinois, pushed through setback after setback after setback.

Now a senior, the injuries and the surgeries only provide context for what might be a very memorable final varsity meet for Wismer.

After winning the Kansas girls diving state championship as a sophomore and missing the chance to defend her championship last year, Wismer is diving as well as ever heading into the state meet today and Saturday at Capitol Federal Natatorium in Topeka.

“It’s been pretty amazing,” said Bridget Allen, who coaches the divers at Blue Valley and BV Northwest. “She’s been out for so long, and she was pretty much able to step right back in from where she was — almost even better than where she was her sophomore year.”

As a sophomore, Wismer achieved a score of 468.50 at the state meet and won her first state title.

Then came the left shoulder injury while diving at a camp that June in Texas. She competed the rest of that summer with her club team before undergoing surgery. It wasn’t long after she returned to the pool that her right knee became troublesome, continually buckling on her.

She realized after trying to dive a little early in her junior season that the knee wouldn’t allow it. So she tried swimming on a Blue Valley relay team, instead. Ultimately, though, she would be a spectator at the state meet after what she called realignment surgery on the knee.

Later, the surgery on her right shoulder, which she injured in a club diving practice, kept her out of diving until February.

“I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh. Again? Really?’ ” Wismer recalled, while recounting the timeline of injuries.

She missed the first two varsity meets this season, but since her return Wismer has won every high school meet in which she’s competed. She scored a personal-best 481.40 at the East Kansas League meet earlier this month.

“When I beat my high (score) from even my sophomore year, that was my definite (moment of) ‘Alright, you’re back, Lauren, and nobody’s stopping you,’ ” she said Thursday on the eve of the state meet.

Now, Wismer is confident, healthy and hoping to write a memorable ending to her high school career this weekend.

Kansas girls swimming and diving state meet•WHEN: Swimming preliminaries begin today at 1 p.m. Diving prelims are at 6 p.m. And finals for all events start in order at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

•WHERE: Capitol Federal Natatorium in Topeka

submitted by RYAN YOUNG - 2009-05-21 23:07:03

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