Central Dauphin's Matt Mullen has been diving well enough to win gold during the postseason, but he has two silver medals to show for it.
At the Mid-Penn boys' diving meet, Mullen had an impressive 444.20, but lost out on the gold to defending champion Bradley Buchter of Trinity.
It was a similar story last Saturday at the District 3-AAA boys' diving championships, where Mullen posted a 460.35. But again, the defending champion repeated his title, as Wilson's Joe Warker beat Mullen by less than 10 points.
The following interview took place after Mullen was awarded his silver medal at the District 3 finals.
How and when did you get involved in competitive diving?
I wasn't in it competitively until ninth grade, but I started midway through eighth grade. ... I just stopped playing baseball. I was still playing golf, but I didn't know that it was a sport until my mother told me.
Why are you passionate about this sport?
I love this sport. I've always loved doing stuff on the board since I was a little kid. The way my body type is, it's the perfect sport for me. I don't have the body of a football or basketball player.
Who are your mentors in diving?
Definitely my coaches Brad and Shelly [Buchter]. They taught me how to compete. Before, I would mess up dives often, but they showed me how to compete.
Do you have a favorite dive?
Ironically, my favorite dive i the forward 2.5 [somersault], but that was the one I messed up today.
Do you pay attention to the other divers during a meet?
Mostly, it's me versus myself. At a meet where it matters, I try not to pay attention to what the other divers are doing. I was actually in the shower a lot today because it was cold [in Gov. Mifflin's natatorium].
What goals do you have for the state meet?
My main goal is to medal this year. I've been working on the 1-meter board a lot more this year to hopefully place at states.