Sawyer’s Victory Is Academic

The glossy scores that Woodland Hills El Camino Real sophomore Chelsea Sawyer received on her final dive to complete a come-from-behind victory in the City Section diving championships didn’t show all the grit and determination that went into earning them.

Sawyer, who won her second consecutive girls’ title by edging junior Rachel Pearson of Woodland Hills Taft, 426.75 to 413.2, on Friday at Pierce College, expresses similar sentiments every time she looks at a report card, which is usually full of hard-earned A’s.

“I do well because I’m constantly studying,” she said. “I have to work hard at it.”

Sawyer, 17, suffers from dyslexia and hearing problems that have forced her to give up nutrition breaks and lunch hours in an effort to not only keep up but excel in her studies, just as she does in diving.

“I spend probably double the time studying that other kids do,” she said.

Dyslexia, a neurological condition that causes difficulty with reading and writing because of sequencing, short-term memory and concentration problems, affects some 375,000 students and as much as 10% of the nation’s population.

Sawyer’s problems make it difficult for her to learn and understand words, and to distinguish or make connections between them. Written letters and words appear to be inverted, making vocabulary difficult to master.

Diving, however, was not.

Sawyer, a former gymnast, took up the sport 2 1/2 years ago and has progressed quickly. Last summer, she placed 11th in three-meter diving competition and 12th in one-meter for 14- and 15-year-olds in a Junior Olympics Western Zone meet. Last month, she placed ninth in the 16- to 18-year-old division at another meet in Seattle.

“She has a lot of natural talent,” said Glenn Short, El Camino Real’s diving coach. “She can feel exactly where she is in the air. It’s a little like the dyslexia. It’s just the way her brain is wired. If you don’t have it, you’re not going to get it. But she has it.”

Schoolwork, however, remains a daily challenge for Sawyer. She makes a point of sitting up front in class. She reads textbooks but also listens to the material. . Taking tests is a constant concern.

“It gets real complicated. Just studying is a project,” said Linda Sawyer, Chelsea’s mother. “Any second she has free, she’s studying. But she has to have that time.”

Sawyer was a straight-A student as a freshman. At this year’s semester break in April, she received six A’s and one B in college-prep classes.

Sawyer said diving offers a welcome respite from the demands of studying. On Friday, she had to rebound from lower-than-expected scores from five judges on her third attempt and overcome mistakes of her own on her fourth and ninth of 11 dives.

“At the end of the day, I feel like I have something that I’m good at and that I love to do,” Sawyer said.

Lake Balboa Birmingham junior Hector Escamilla scored 313.25 points to win his second consecutive City boys’ diving title. Carlos Siguenza of Los Angeles Fremont was second and Birmingham’s Joe Schaefer-Sommerville was third.