ADAMS TWP — Taylor Hockenberry was happy to watch some of the best athletes compete in the USA Division AAA National Diving Championships last week in Orlando, Fla.

It gave the Mars incoming junior — who also competed in two events — an opportunity to watch the best.

That helps Hockenberry learn.

“I love watching the finals and seeing all the good divers,” Hockenberry said. “I'm very visual and like to visualize dives. Once I see someone do something, I think it can be done.”

Hockenberry didn't make the finals in either of her events at junior nationals, but thought experience was more important than the results.

She scored a 340.10 in the 16-18 girls 1-meter preliminary round and 287.35 in the platform preliminary.

“It was my first time qualifying for nationals,” Hockenberry said. “I went down there and wanted to get experience and do my best. I wasn't expecting any big turnouts.”

Pitt Aquatic Club diving coach Doe Krug thought Hockenberry was able to come through on her make-or-break dive.

That type of jump Krug defines as a dive that competitors struggle with for a multitude of reasons.

For Hockenberry, it was a reverse one-and-a-half somersault in a pike position.

“She's a little more nervous on that dive,” Krug said. “Sometimes she tends not to have a good takeoff. If you're more nervous you find yourself falling of the end of the board. She completed the rotation and had a good entry.”

Hockenberry put up several big numbers on the scoreboard during the high school season.

She won the PIAA and WPIAL Class AA crowns last season.

Krug thinks progression for Hockenberry will come through repetition.

Advancing at nationals requires repeating your dive list three times in the preliminary, semifinal and final rounds.

“She can get steadier still. Doing well at big meets is about consistency,” Krug said. “We are competing in the senior part of our national championships, the kids here have to repeat their list of dives three times in one day. If you do well enough to make all the cuts, you have to be consistent.”

While finding the perfect approach every time is impossible, watching the other divers compete helps Hockenberry.

Once she sees it, Hockenberry starts working toward it. There are other things she needs to get down first.

“There are some really good divers and a lot of big dives I can watch,” said Hockenberry of her experience at nationals. “I definitely want to improve on simple dives, make them cleaner and work on entries.”