On January 4, eighteen of the best divers from every corner of Section V came together to compete in the third annual C-C Diving Classic. All five of the Section V state qualifiers were in attendance, including George Ligozio and Henry Kauffman from Irondequoit, Kyler Thomas and Jordan Leastman from Churchville-Chili, and Charles Dovichi from Honeoye Falls-Lima. Also in attendance were several heavy-hitters, including Churchville-Chili’s Isaac Bailey, Canandaigua’s Eli Hyer, Naples Sadie Gursslin, Hilton’s Payton Alyward, and Palmyra-Macedon’s Carson Lich.
Competition was tight for each of the divers but the real battle of the day was between returning Classic Champ, Ligozio of Irondequoit, and Churchville-Chili’s Thomas. As usual, the two boys battled for first place throughout the meet, with everything coming down to the final dive of the day. The last diver of the competition was Thomas, whose final dive was a back 1.5 somersault with a .5 twist. The dive received a total of 47.25 points from the officials, pushing Thomas into first place by 8.20 points. This made him the first C-C Classic Champion from Churchville-Chili, posting a final score of 509.55.
The first C-C Swimming Classic takes place Saturday, January 11, with Gananda, Newark, Irondequoit, Churchville-Chili, Greece, and Pal-Mac competing.
Provided information and photos
Kyler Thomas signing the Diving Classic Plaque
