Arlington Martin paves the way in school district for divers after nearly 20 years
Arlington Martin has had a great reputation for its high school athletics.
The football program has reached the playoffs in 14 straight seasons, girls basketball is 32-4 and ranked No. 4 in the state this year, boys wrestling has taken second at state during the past three meets and Trinity King won the 6A girls golf state title in 2019.
You get the idea.
And the level of competition spreads all over the Arlington school district, which includes Arlington Lamar, Bowie, Sam Houston and Seguin.
Yet one thing was missing for the last 19 years — diving.
“Kids asked me this year if we had diving. We don’t actually have a diving coach,” Martin swim coach Alex Weidemann said.
Weidemann is in his second year with Martin and 11th with Arlington ISD.
The facilities make it difficult to have divers. Half of the Arlington schools practice at UT Arlington while the other half go to Tarrant County College.
“There’s no diving board at TCC. There’s one at UTA, but diving needs to take up half the pool so space is an issue,” said Weidemann, who took Arlington Seguin swimmers to the state meet in 2018.
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Weidemann swam at Mansfield as the program was starting and was the first state qualifier. He also swam for four years at SMU. In 2018, Seguin went to state for the first time and competed in the 200 yard medley relay and 500 yard freestyle.
“I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to diving. It’s a different sport and combined a totally different skill set,” he said.
But when sophomore Lynzie Chavez and freshmen Shaili Guadalupe and Claire Goodyear showed interest, Weidemann thought about diving lessons from club coaches.
“I knew about a diving club in Mansfield. I wish I had thrown out the idea earlier,” Weidemann said. “They learned from club and now are a part of the team. Once I got the word out about diving, it generated more interest from Martin and the other Arlington schools.”
“I took an interest in diving because I liked being in the water,” Chavez added. “I was already good at flipping because of my gymnastics background.”
So for the first time in nearly 20 years, Martin and Arlington ISD had divers.
And they shined in their first year.
Chavez won the district title and finished 10th at the regional meet. Guadalupe was sixth at district and 15th at regional. The top six at district advance to regional. The top two at regional advance to state.
Goodyear also competed, but suffered an injury before the district meet.
The UIL swimming and diving state championships run Friday and Saturday from Austin’s Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.
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“Knowing that we helped jump start this program is a very cool thing and not many people have the opportunity to do so,” Guadalupe said. “Looking back in 10 years, I would be proud that i got this opportunity. I love the friendships I’ve made since I started diving.”
Arlington ISD is in the process of building a new athletic complex near AT&T Stadium, which should be ready in the fall. It will feature an Olympic size pool, basketball and volleyball courts and a fine arts center.
The plan is to hire a district-wide diving coach.
“They decided it was time to level the playing field and it’s really great for our program,” Weidemann said.
Added Chavez, “It’s a really great feeling knowing that I contributed to the renewal of an amazing program. This is only the beginning. I’m hoping that the team will continue to grow and become a reputable sport. I want the future boys and girls to know what a privilege it is to compete in AISD, especially as a Martin Warrior, and that it’s never too late to try something new.”
This story was originally published February 14, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
