On dedication alone, Medowie's 11-year-old diving whiz-kid Joshua Lee is a sporting success story.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Due to the fact there are no diving facilities in Port Stephens, the pint-sized athlete travels for training from his Medowie home three times a week to Lambton Pool and every weekend to Sydney.
It's a hectic routine for the Lee family, with mum Xanthe acting as chaperone leaving Joshua's older brother Cooper to rely on dad for support in his favoured sporting pursuits, soccer and triathlons.
According to the sport's national body, diving combines the athleticism of gymnastics, the grace of ballet and the concentration of a chess player. In just three short years Joshua has demonstrated his talent on both the springboard and platform to match his youthful enthusiasm.
When I'm up there about to dive I just focus on what I have been trained to do.
- Joshua Lee
Standing at just 138cm tall while weighing a little over 30kg, Joshua has the right physique and attitude to progress in the Olympic sport. He has also been coached by some of the best in the sport, including world cliff diving champion, Lake Macquarie's Rhiannon Iffland.
"She is a great role model and I am lucky to have top-line coaches such as Rhiannon, plus Kevin Chavez at the NSW Institute of Sport and [Sydney 2000 bronze medallist] Rebecca Manuel (nee Gilmore)," Joshua said.
A Year 6 student at Medowie Christian College, Joshua recently returned from the diving national championships in Perth with an impressive three gold medals and the honour of being named Diving Australia's 12/13 years boys 'Diver of the Year'.
His gold medals came in the 3m springboard, 5m platform and in the synchronised event and he has been invited to the Diving Australia annual awards dinner in Adelaide in June. He has also been selected into the NSW PSSA team to compete in Melbourne in July.
"I expect the competition in Melbourne to be a lot harder because there will be some of the best divers from all the other states competing," Joshua said.
"I was a little nervous before competing in Perth but I was very happy afterwards... when I'm up there about to dive I just focus on what I have been trained to do. My goal is to be able to train at the NSW Institute of Sport and hopefully one day compete at the Olympic Games."
Joshua trains in the summer with Hunter Diving Academy at Lambton Pool. His weekly Sydney visits are usually shared between Pymble Ladies College and Homebush Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.