Claire Jakabcin Season 2005-06

What's the best part about being on the swimming and diving team here?
"There are a lot of things, but probably the fact that I get to spend 90 percent of my time with these people and we get along so well. And that we are able to spend that much time together and not have too much drama."

What's the worst part about being on the team?
"Early mornings and time management. It's just hard to keep everything balanced and stay on top of classes."

How did you get into diving when you were younger?
"It's a funny story. In my area there's a big summer league for swimming and diving, and when I was seven my parents told me that wanted me to do either swimming or diving. I said swimming was too much work, so I wanted to be a diver. Little did I know they were probably about the same amount."

What other sports were you into when you were younger?
"I played basketball when I was younger, but looking at our basketball players now, I think I made the right choice. I'm a little too short."

What brought you to Virginia Tech?
"I actually knew (former diver) Doug Roper, from my club team, so he was a big part of it. And when I came to visit, I absolutely loved the campus. And I loved the atmosphere and the people that I met."

You have at least two meets left, hopefully more, what do you want to accomplish?
"We want to beat Pittsburgh this weekend. Hopefully that will go in our favor and then finish off well at ACCs, so I can end my career on a high note."

When you're a diver are your goals more individual or team oriented?
"I think in the bigger meets, it's a little more important for me to do well and if that helps the team then that's a plus. Dual meets are a little more cut-throat, so you kind of need to do well for the team. But if you're doing well for the team you're going to be doing well for yourself."

Do you guys ever get (Diving Coach) Bert (Locklin) to put on the suit and demonstrate for you?
"He's dove for us a couple of times, usually when there's nobody else around like when we're back here for the training trip or something. He says he's getting too old to do much. He doesn't really demonstrate, but he'll get up there and he'll do some things."

Could you take him in a six-dive contest?
"I don't know ... He's still got some stuff in him. It would depend on the day and if I got to choose the dives, what he had to do."

Being Biology major, what are you looking to do?
"I'm probably going to take a little time off after I graduate, but then I'd like to go to a physicians' assistant program, which is a graduate school."

So 10 years from now, what are you doing?
"Hopefully working in a private pediatrician's office, and thinking about going back to med school."

When you look back on your four years here, what are you going to remember the most?
"That's hard. There's a lot. I guess meets at War (Memorial Pool), football games and bus trips. As much as they stink, there's always something funny that happens that makes it memorable. And I guess just spending so much time with these people."

Any printable stories from bus trips?
"Oh gosh ... my freshman year, somebody put their head in the toilet on the way back from Florida. (Head Coach) Ned (Skinner) singing "Country Roads" is always a good one. Actually anybody singing on the bus is good. We all break out in song with them."

Do you think Ned could win a karaoke contest?
"He did pretty good this past weekend (to West Virginia), he was pretty impressive. Maybe if he worked on it a little bit."