THE PERFECT PLUNGE
All five judges award Markentin score of 10 at Western Canada championships
Divers rarely receive a perfect score of 10 from one judge, let along all five. But that’s what Regina’s Bjorn Markentin did at the Western Canada championships on the weekend. Markentin, shown practising this week, says he could tell it was ‘a good dive.’
Most divers strive for perfection, elusive as it can be, in the eyes of the judges.
Bjorn Markentin of the Regina Diving Club is among the few who can claim across-the-board perfect scores.
Markentin was awarded five 10s from national-level judges after completing a reverse with two and a half flips off the 10-metre platform in the men’s open division of the Western Canada championships on the weekend at the Lawson Aquatic Centre.
“I could tell after I entered the water that it was a good dive,” Markentin says.
“When I came out of the water and I heard the scores, I knew it was.”
Laura Desautels, head coach of the Regina Diving Club, says it’s rare for a diver to be awarded even one perfect 10 by a member of the judging panel.
“It’s a perfect dive and all of the judges have to decide that it’s perfect,” Desautels says. “It was a really exciting moment to watch him do that.”
Desautels was a competitive diver before moving into coaching. She spent two years on the Canadian diving team before earning a scholarship to the University of Nebraska and finishing her diving career at Virginia Tech.
She remembers receiving only one 10.
“And I dove for a long time,” she notes. “Most divers will never get one 10. It’s hard to get one because all of the judges have to think the dive is perfect. It’s not very often you get one 10, let alone five, from the judges.”
Being awarded perfect scores means there’s no room for a single mistake.
“Everything has to fall in place for him to do that from the moment he left the platform,” Desautels says.
“If they are one degree the wrong way, it’s an adjustment that has to be made all the way into the water. Their takeoff has to be perfect and so does their position in the air. If their toes aren’t pointed, the score is nine and a half. Of course, it’s right through into their entry into the water with zero splash.”
Markentin may have had an indication he was in for a good day when he was awarded two 10s while executing the same dive in the junior boys open platform. He improved on that performance while completing the same dive in the men’s open platform.
“The goal is to be perfect, but it’s really hard to do,” he says.
The perfect dive has already had an impact on the club.
“It’s good for the little kids to see that because they look up to the older kids,” Desautels says.
“It gives them a goal and something to strive for and it helps them understand that they could do that, too.
“They are in a club that has kids diving at that level. If they work hard, put in the effort, the commitment and the dedication, they can get to that level too.”
Markentin, 16, began diving about 10 years ago while growing up in Saskatoon. It was during swimming lessons that he saw the divers working out and decided that’s what he wanted to do.
He has already competed at two Canada Summer Games — in 2013 and 2017.
In 2014, Markentin switched from the Saskatoon Diving Club to the RDC due to the opportunity to combine diving and education.
He is enrolled at the Martin Academy, which features high school programs geared toward allowing elite athletes to train for their respective sports during the day.
The flexible schedule gives Markentin, who is in Grade 11, time to study in the mornings and train during the afternoons and into the early evening.
“They have a good program which allows me to continue with my academics and diving,” Markentin says. “It was just a good fit for me.”
While in Regina, Markentin shares a home with his 19-yearold brother, Hans. Their parents, Morris and Joan, and twin sisters Elisa and Erika, live in Saskatoon.
“I see my mom every week because she’s a masters diver with the club,” Markentin says. “We also have lots of leftovers because my dad sends us lots of good things to eat.”
Most divers will never get one 10. It’s hard to get one because all of the judges have to think the dive is perfect. It’s not very often you get one 10, let alone five, from the judges.