Blue Devil divers entertain this summer

You would think that the five-month swim season is long enough for any college diver. Yet, four Fredonia State divers “extended” their time on the diving boards and tower this summer entertaining audiences four or five times a day at Kennywood Amusement Park in Pittsburgh, Pa.

As summer employees of Watershow Productions, Inc., Teresa MacInnes of Tonawanda, Kelly Sponholz of Alden, Scott Horsington of Rochester, and Dunkirk’s Christian Torres played the roles of dysfunctional pirates in search of a treasure map. However, they didn’t perform on an ordinary stage, or even a stationary one.  Their theatrical set was an inflatable pirate ship which partially concealed two three-meter diving boards and a tower with small platforms that extended as high as 50 feet. Below the boards and tower was a circular pool, similar to what one would find in residential backyards--save for the depth and the adornment of skulls and crossbones on the side walls!

The diving apparatus and pool faced a semi-circle amphitheater that seated as many as 600 people, many of them children.

Their 20-minute skit was laced with comedy, musical numbers, dancing, stunts, pratfalls, slapstick and dives.

The skills they use during the athletic season at Fredonia served them well, especially when they had to dive off the pirate ship’s tower. At the end of each performance the divers greeted the crowds, shook hands, signed autographs and answered countless questions from children in the audience.

For Teresa MacInnes, a senior math education major, it was her third summer as an employee of Watershow Productions. The veteran performer of the foursome, she has played different roles at amusement parks in North Carolina and Long Island as well as Kennywood.

NCAA All-American Kelly Sponholz joined the production company this summer. A junior elementary education major, she noted, “I love acting and meeting new people.”

Performing isn’t new for Scott Horsington, either. A music education and performance major, he is an accomplished clarinetist when not competing in sports, and won the School of Music’s concerto competition last year.

The youngest of the group, Christian Torres, is a business administration major.

Swim Coach John Crawford is proud of his athletes’ summer efforts. “All the divers had fun doing the comical dives off the boards and tower," he said. "Plus, they were paid for the skills they learned in practice and competition. Hopefully, this experience has brought them closer together as a team and reinforced their enthusiasm for the upcoming season."