STUART, Fla. — In life, they say, take a leap of faith.
Well, a group of kids in Stuart are doing just that on a diving board.
WATCH BELOW: Stuart divers take leap toward big dreams
"There are different things for different people. Some people prefer platform diving, which is much higher but fun, which I prefer. Something I’ve grown to love is all the friendships that I make throughout the years," said Grace Erickson, a local diver, who admits diving has always been her passion.
"On my preschool poster I wrote what I wanted to be when I got older was a diver," Erickson said.
That preschooler who could only dream of being a diver is fulfilling her dream as an eighth grader.
"It’s been really exciting; it's new things every twist and turn, both in your head and diving off the board," Erickson said.
Her longtime coach, Osvaldo "Pito" Alberty, thanks her for her courage and wants to see Erickson and her teammates take the sport to new levels.
"We are like a family here. We treat each other with respect and courtesy, and we push each other to do better than everyone else," said Pito, whose passion is sharing his experience, knowledge and love for diving with young athletes with the Atlantic Diving Team in Stuart.
Atlantic takes divers of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels and teaches them the Olympic sport of diving.
"The younger we get them, the better it is because over time they can get scholarships. If they want to do international diving, they can qualify for international competitions or even the Olympics," Pito said.
For divers like Erickson, she wants to take her talents to the college level, but there's a new diver who’s just learning the sport, Carissa Smith.
"I was recently a gymnast and just about two months ago I started diving," said Smith.
Smith is a natural-born acrobat. At 14, she hasn't participated in her first competition because she wants to learn the basics. But for now, she admits diving is pretty fun.
"It feels like you're flying; it's exhilarating just being able to get better at my diving," said Smith.
