Routson, Zubrin Win in Platform

Interesting to see what a little All-American fear can do.

Winners of the platform events from Sunday’s Southern California Invitational Diving meet admitted it’s no cakewalk diving off the giant slab of cement 10 meters above the pool at the Marguerite International Swimming and Diving Complex.

“It’s my favorite, but it’s still scary,” said the Mission Viejo Nadadores’ Sandy Zubrin, who won the combined senior women and 16-18 girls’ platform events and was second in the one-meter competition.

Teammate Tyce Routson, who won the 16-18 boys’ platform and was second in the senior men’s three-meter, said being good at it doesn’t make diving from it any easier. “It’s a lot more fun than springboard, but it’s scarier than anything else,” he said.

Routson finished with 513.65 points, well ahead of teammate Jeff Nichols, the Division II Southern Section diving champion from Laguna Hills High, who scored 436.75.

By the end of the summer, Routson would like to add a back 3 1/2 to his program, a dive few of his peers have mastered.

Meanwhile, there are plenty he already can do. Routson nailed his inward 3 1/2, his ninth dive, to earn high-point honors.

In terms of high points, no one was better than Zubrin. The Corona del Mar junior broke the 400-point barrier for the first time in her career, successfully defending the platform titles she won in 1992.

Zubrin’s performance was noteworthy because she has nursed a shoulder injury since the beginning of May and has done little tower work since.

“This gives me confidence,” said Zubrin, who scored 403.25 points, well ahead of the second-place divers in both divisions. “I was a little worried about reinjuring my shoulder, but now I know I can go all-out without hurting myself.”

Mission Viejo’s Ricky Woods, who dives for Rose Bowl Aquatics, won the senior men’s three-meter event. Nancy Janik, also of Rose Bowl Aquatics, won Sunday’s senior women’s one-meter competition to go with the three-meter title she won Saturday.