Record-breaking diver meets with Novi’s previous record holders

NOVI — Novi High School diver Drew Reed broke two records this year that had stood for approximately 20 years and then had the opportunity to meet with the previous record holders.

“It was really cool because, obviously, I love my sport. So, it really shows (that my) hard work over the years has paid off,” Reed said.

Reed, 16, started diving during his freshman year of high school, because he wanted to try something new. He is now a junior.

“I like flipping. I grew up on the trampoline and I was kind of fading away from baseball, so I just wanted to try something new, and I really started to love it,” Reed said. “I love how creative you can be with your dives, and I love always having someone to beat.”

“He’s easily improved more than anybody else in the state this year,” Novi High School dive coach Don Mason said. Mason described Reed as simply a good kid.

Reed said that he was not focused on breaking records this year at all. However, he dove well and ended up breaking both the dual meet (six-dive) and invitational (11-dive) records.

He said he had his own goals that he set for himself this year, but he ended up going above and beyond those goals. Reed said his goal for the six-dive was a score of 250, but he ended up scoring 281.25, which he said ‘blew him away.” In the 11-dive category, he said his goal was 440 points, but he achieved 466 points.

The previous records were set by brothers Steve and Chris Alberty in 2001 and 2006, respectively. Steve Alberty set the previous record with a score of 273.95 and Chris Alberty had held the 11-dive record with a score of 454.55.

Reed scored 281.25 in the six-dive and 466.10 in the 11-dive, making him the new record holder for both categories.

“We’ve had a lot of really good divers, so it’s impressive to take down a record,” Mason said.

Reed was so focused on achieving his own goals that he never knew he achieved the records until well after the competitions.

“I knew I was on pace for the record, but I was trying not to think about it just to stay focused,” he said.

He found out he had set the 11-dive record several weeks later when he received an email questionnaire from George Sipple, the school district’s supervisor of communications and community engagement, for a podcast Reed was to do with Superintendent Ben Mainka. Sipple was under the impression that Reed had already been informed, because he originally was going to have Mainka tell Reed during the school’s podcast, but when a school cancellation delayed the podcast for two weeks, they presumed that Reed had been told of the record by then. He has since broken his own 11-dive record.

“It was cool. It kind of surprised me a little bit,” Reed said.

Reed said that although Olympic diving could one day be a dream of his, right now he is hoping to get a scholarship to college for diving. He said he wants to study aviation in college.

Mason said that the swim coach had the idea to have Reed meet brothers Mike, Chris and Steve Alberty and arranged the surprise.

“It was just a nice  thing,” Mason said. “It was a chance for them to relive some of their memories of their time at Novi. … It’s nice to see the history that’s part of it, and he appreciated them and they appreciated him. It was just really nice to see.”

The  Alberty brothers came to one of Reed’s practices to congratulate him and shared their dive stories.

“It was cool to see how diving impacts his (Chris Alberty’s) life, because he went to college for it,” Reed said.

Chris Alberty offered Reed advice on the recruiting process and encouraged him that he could go far in the sport.

“All 3 of the Alberty brothers, Mike, Steve and myself, who individually held a Novi Diving record at one point, are very happy for Drew,” Chris Alberty said in a text message. “We recently met Drew (at) the pool to congratulate him. It’s good to know that Novi Diving is alive and well. Records are made to be broken and Drew is in very good hands with Coach Don Mason, like we were with Coach Larry Tehan! Go Wildcats!”

Outside of people he has met in the sport through the school, Reed said he draws a lot of inspiration from the diving career of Greg Louganis.

“A lot of his stories inspired me, especially his 1988 Olympics where he hit his head on the board and won gold the next day. I kind of learned a lot from his diving career — just to try and keep my head up and not dwell on previous mistakes,” Reed said.

Reed came in fourth at the state competition on March 15, which earned him all-state honors.  He said his goal now is to just keep getting better.

He said he would advise aspiring divers to just stop being scared and be open to trying new things.