Auburn diver Vennie Dantin stands, back to the water, on the 10-meter platform.
With a deep breath she jumps and tucks her body into her strongest dive, a two and a half back pike.
End result: sixth place at the U.S. Nationals in Southern California and a bid to the Olympic trials.
In addition to her platform score she placed seventh on the 3-meter spring board.
Dantin, senior in exercise science, was Auburn's only female diver to compete in Los Angeles earlier this month.
However, the pressure did not keep her from qualifying for the Olympic trials.
"Staying focused on the fundamentals is the key to our training," said diving coach Jeff Shaffer. "When you can execute the fundamentals perfectly the advanced moves are cleaner."
Dantin's placement at the NCAA Division I Women's Championship in March qualified her for the U.S. Nationals meet.
Despite the pressures of competing at the national level, concerns and nerves only arose when she discovered she would compete without the Auburn team.
"I would much rather be diving with the team," Dantin said. "Having my teammates supporting me is just as much a part of my success as practice is. They can distract you from the pressures of the meet."
Dantin's training for her fourth visit to the U.S. Nationals, an outdoor meet, was impeded by Auburn's lack of an outdoor diving arena.
"We had Vennie compete in July at an outdoor meet in order to get a more clear idea of what she would be facing at nationals," Shaffer said. "Spotting and diving overall is a very different experience in an outside arena."
Consistency in her training is no problem for Dantin, according to strength and conditioning coach Alex Lee.
"Vennie is always very consistent in her workouts and conscious of the team atmosphere," Lee said. "Having Vennie in the weight room with me is like having an assistant--she always makes sure to help out the team and see that everyone is getting the attention they need."
Lee plans to focus Dantin's conditioning this season on her Olympic lifts and squats.
"Those have been her biggest improvements during her time here at Auburn, and those moves are the most important for a diver's success," Lee said.
Dantin will lead the team this year with fellow senior diver Anna Aguero. Shaffer said he feels confident the returning experience from Dantin and the other senior divers will lead to a successful season.
This semester Dantin aims to work on two new dives she hopes to showcase at the Winter Nationals in Iowa.
With the end of her fourth season at Auburn concluding with Olympic trials in June, Dantin's training and conditioning will be as strict as training for regular season meets.
"If you train hard for every single meet and focus just on the dive at hand, you have a better shot of calming your nerves and performing the dive at the level you know you can," Dantin said.
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