BYRON DIVER STARTS TO CLICK
With postseason near, Bausman gets into gear
BYRON — Addison Bausman felt like she got off to a little bit of a slow start to this season.
The junior who last year won the Northern Illinois Independent Conference Championship and took second at sectionals, advancing to state, started this year off by continuing to win, but she felt like she couldn’t lock down a couple of new dives she was attempting to perfect.
But about a month was all it took. She won the Logterman Invitational at Harlem with a big showing on Sept. 9, and then she re-set the Byron varsity and pool records with a mark of 278.80 last Tuesday (Oct. 10) in a triangular-meet victory. She followed that up with a 10thplace finish at last Saturday’s Hinsdale invite, which had 54 of the best divers in the state.
Clearly, the slow start is now behind her, and she’s ready for the postseason.
“This month I’ve kind of picked it up, I guess,” said Bausman, who was in 15th place at state last year after the preliminary rounds. Only the top 12 advanced to finals, but that rule has now changed. “Last weekend’s meet (at Hinsdale) was really good, just to see how I measured up. And to see what I need to work on.”
Not much, although if she wants a state medal, she will need to clean up a couple of her dives. The NIC-10 swim meet is at Jefferson on Oct. 21, but for Byron the postseason doesn’t really begin until sectionals on Oct. 28, because there are no true opponents for the Tigers in the Northern Illinois Independent Conference this year. The state meet is then Nov. 10-11 at the FMC Natatorium in Westmont.
Bausman is fine-tuning for a big finish to the season. Her forward somersault with two twists has gotten better with age, and she is implementing back-dives this year, which take time to perfect.
Judging by the past two weeks, she’s pretty close.
“She’s just been working and working, and it shows,” Byron’s girls dive coach Garry Cacciapaglia said. “And one of her strengths is her teammates. They are so behind her; they support her so much. And it makes a difference.
“She’s really picking it up lately. It’s going to be fun.”
Bausman has now set the Byron Tigers diving record four times over. But she has new goals.
“I definitely want to finish strong at state,” she said. “And right now, it’s just time to hone in on all of my dives, and clean it all up... I’m focused.”
Last year at state she bowed out in the prelims. However, she bowed out in 15th place, and this past offseason the IHSA changed the requirements, and now the top 16 divers advance to finals.
She would have made it, had the rule change kicked into affect a year sooner. But she intends on being even better anyway.
“I feel like I’ve gotten better, and I’ve learned a lot since then,” Bausman said. “I guess we’ll find out soon.”
Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on Twitter at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School newsletter at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a wide variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears to youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star, and for over 30 years all together.
“She’s just been working and working, and it shows. And one of her strengths is her teammates. They are so behind her; they support her so much. And it makes a difference. Garry Cacciapaglia
Byron girls dive coach