Phenoms : With Talent Beyond Their Years, These Athletes Will Likely Leave Their Marks : Erica Sorgi: Diving

One would think after six years of diving off the high platform, Erica Sorgi, 14, would be used to it. But every time she climbs to the top of the 10-meter concrete structure, she feels fear.

“I’ve never gotten used to it, and I still get a little scared before I dive,” said Sorgi, a freshman at Capistrano Valley High. “But I can’t let that stop me. I have to rely on my training and the confidence I have knowing I can do it.”

Despite Sorgi’s fear, she’s still a good high platform diver. But she’s even better off the one- and three-meter boards.

“That’s where I do my best dives,” said Sorgi, who won both events at Senior Nationals last summer. “I really don’t have one dive, but I do like to do the back two-and-a-half tuck.”

Sorgi, who has a background in gymnastics, started diving with the Mission Viejo Nadadores Diving Team when she was 8. Still training with the Nadadores, her mother, Anne, said it wasErica’s decision to take up the sport.

“At that time, I would bring her with me to the pool because her brother was swimming with the Nadadores,” said Anne Sorgi, whose family lives in Mission Viejo. “After watching the divers working out, she said she wanted to do that, so I let her.”

Sorgi is one of the reasons Capistrano Valley is expected to finish among the top 10 at the Southern Section Division I swimming and diving finals.

She’s ranked first in the nation in 13-14 age-group diving and is currently in Alabama, where she’s competing in her fourth National Diving Championship at Auburn.

Sorgi said high school diving is rather strange because of its distant relationship with the swim team, but she’s looking forward to diving for her school.

In most cases, high school divers train exclusively with their clubs, and with the exception of an occasional dual meet, compete for their schools only at league and division finals.

“Oh, I like high school diving,” Sorgi said. “The judges aren’t as strict as they are at Junior or Senior Nationals, and it’s a lot more low-key. It’s fun, and I want to help my team score points.”

Sorgi said she’s particularly keen on diving against former Nadadores teammate Kristin Marquis, a sophomore who dives for Santa Margarita High.

“When we were younger, we used to flip-flop as far as winning,” Sorgi said, “so I’m looking forward to diving against her.”

Her club coach, Hongping Li, has been with her since she joined the Nadadores. Li, who competed for China in the 1980 and ’84 Olympics, has seen his share of champions during his diving and coaching career. But he doesn’t hesitate to call Sorgi one of the best he’s seen.

“When I first saw her dive, back when she first started, I could see right away that she had a lot of natural talent,” Li said. “And through the years, she has been very focused on her training and goals. I think she has everything it takes to be an Olympic champion.”

After hearing Li’s praise, Sorgi shrugged and said, “Well, I just hope that in a couple of years I’m still finishing near the top.”