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 (Clarion, Pa.):  Clarion freshman diver Kristin Day, from nearby Reynoldsville, Pa. and DuBois High School, will be competing this week in the 21^st Trampoline World Age Group Championships – sponsored by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique and being held at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England, with preliminary (first round) competition beginning Friday, November 25.  A top 8 finish in the prelims would guarantee her a spot in the finals which are set to conclude on November 26.

                Day will compete in the double mini trampoline event, which she qualified for with her combined finishes at the U.S. Jr. Elite Championships in San Antonio, Tex. In July, plus the other two qualifiers in Houston, Texas in March and Fort Worth, Texas in April. She is ranked third in the U.S. and earned her qualifying spot to the World Championships to represent the United States in the 17-18 year old age group.

                “We're really proud of her accomplishments and wish her all the best in England,” said Clarion diving coach Dave Hrovat. “She has already had a good start to her diving career here at Clarion and she has great potential for the future,” praised the 21-time NCAA Division II Coach of the Year.

                Day was referred to Hrovat by DuBois High diving coach Sandy Hack.  

                Day finished 18^th on 1 meter at PIAA States as a sophomore and 10^th last year as a senior on 1 meter at states. She received some private diving lessons from Logan Pearsall, who was a 4-time NCAA Diving National champion with the Golden Eagles, and liked his diving technique and coaching.

                “I was really impressed with Logan,” said Day. “He knew so much about coaching diving. It convinced me that I really wanted to come to Clarion and dive for coach Hrovat.”

                Day, who is representing the United States this weekend, competes on the double mini trampoline through the Uzelac Gymnastics School of Johnstown and Altoona. She is the daughter of Dennis and Susan Day of Reynoldsville, Pa., with her mom also serving in the role as her coach.

                The double mini trampoline is a unique event that certainly combines athletic, tumbling and gymnastic type skills. A competitor runs down the ramp, jumps onto an angled trampoline, then onto a flat trampoline, then lands the dismount onto a mat. Three judges score the pass, and when the degree of difficulty is added, the contestant receives their first of two scores. The combined score is ranked for placing or advancement.

                An outstanding student and athlete, Day enrolled at Clarion this Fall at the age of 16 (she has since turned 17), with 21 academic credits already in hand from Penn State Dubois with a 4.0 GPA. Her major at Clarion is Biology with a minor in Physics.

                Day is off to a good start in her collegiate diving career. She has won both one and three meter boards in Clarion's dual meet wins over Carnegie Mellon and Shippensburg. She did not dive off a three meter board prior to her arrival at Clarion – and for good reason – she was scared of the three meter board.

                “I was scared,” admitted Day. “I really didn't like landing on my head from that distance. After takeoff it just seemed like forever until I get to the water. Coach Hrovat helped my deal with that and I keep improving every time I compete. I'm also learning how to have a lot of fun with my diving. I have some great teammates that help keep things light while we work so hard. It's a great balance and a really positive experience.”

                Kristin is a tremendous athlete and competitor,” said Hrovat.  “She has such an unbelievable work ethic and she is a perfectionist in everything she does.  I honestly don't know how to gauge where she might be by the time we reach nationals this year, but one thing is for sure, she will work hard every day to be at her best when that time comes.”

                Day's goals?

                “I want to make to the World Finals in England this week on the double mini and give myself a chance at a high placing.

                At Clarion?

                “I want to keep improving, qualify for nationals on both boards, get to nationals and be a Division II All-American.  After that eventually a national title – that would be great!

                Said coach Hrovat – “Kristin has come a long way already. She is improving daily on both the one and three meter boards and has a legitimate shot to be an All-American this year. She is a unique student-athlete - -- with a lot of the same work habits and approach to the classroom as Jamie Wolf – (who won 7 national titles, First Team Academic All-American, 4.0 in Molecular Biology).  Whatever success comes her way – she will have earned it.”

                Good luck Kristin – Good luck this week at the World Championships and as a student athlete at Clarion. Know that we are all Clarion Proud.

CLARION NOTES: The World Championships (Senior Competition) encompass 8 events (4 male/4 female) in Trampoline, Synchro, Double Mini Trampoline and Power Tumbling, held over a three-day period as well as the World Age Group Championships (Junior competition). It is expected that around 650 gymnasts and officials from 40 countries will attend the World Championships while the Junior competition expects to attract around 1200 participants. The event will see the world's best gymnasts in these disciplines competing in one of the most prestigious competitions on the FIG (International Federation of Gymnastics) calendar.
SEE LINKS BELOW FOR LIVE VIDEO – SCORING AND RESULTS
http://livetv.ru/en/eventinfo/95950_2011_world_championships/  - video
http://swt-cis-srv-012.st-innovation.com/CisWebApp/gt.html - live scoring
http://birmingham2011.fig-gymnastics.com/  - results page