Athlete of the Week: Joyce Tseng

Senior Joyce Tseng springs off of the teal diving board and breaks the surface of the pool without a splash—a perfect inward dive.

A performance like that is not uncommon for Tseng. A leading member of Big Red diving and an internationally recognized athlete, Tseng showcases impressive dives and bears impressive diligence. However, what’s most notable is neither her grit nor her talent, but rather her unrelenting passion for the sport.

Tseng, who arrived last year as a new upper, had never tried diving before Exeter; she picked up diving last winter.

“I had been an artistic gymnast for 11 years and was looking for a new sport to pursue since Exeter does not have a gymnastics program,” Tseng said. “My friend [senior] Thomas Gallup, who is a swimmer and was also a new upper, was really the person that brought diving to my attention and really encouraged me to try it. I did not want to try out for the team because the thought of wet locker room floors grossed me out so much, but Tom told me that was a bad reason and I eventually tried out.”

Once she tried out for the team, however, everything clicked. Tseng’s previous involvement in gymnastics allowed her to quickly develop a fondness for the sport.

Regardless, Tseng emphasized that immersing into a sport without any prior knowledge and experience was challenging and noted the differences between diving and gymnastics.

“Though she only began diving last year, Joyce’s work ethic and ability have led her to incredible things.”

“With diving you have to be a lot more patient with the board and wait for it to respond to your movement, whereas in gymnastics you can afford to just go off of your own strength and push through a tumbling pass,” Tseng said.

One of the biggest challenges Tseng faced as a nascent diver was learning particular dives such as the inward—jumping backwards, but rotating forwards—and reverse—jumping forwards, but rotating backwards—dives. She said that during the times when she learned and practiced these dives, she “quite literally took a leap of faith.”

“I definitely think that I have become a braver person as a result of them,” Tseng added. “And at one point I decided that I really wanted to take on this new sport, so I invested myself completely.”

And just like that, Tseng began her career in diving at Exeter. Though the beginnings were challenging, it didn’t take long for Tseng to become an integral member of the team. A hard-working athlete, she honed her skills in diving and this past summer was recruited by the Thailand national team.

“My previous gymnastics coach [Sareerapat Pimsamsee] was a former Olympic diver for Thailand and so I reached out to him to dive just for fun during the summer, just as a way to stay in shape," she said.

"I started training three times a week for two hours each session, then sometime in July, my coach and I were approached by the Thai Aquatics Association.”

And the rest, according to Tseng, is history. The Thai Aquatics Association, which had been searching for a pair of girls in the 16-18 age group for synchronized diving, asked Tseng to join the national team and ultimately participate in the Asian Age Group Championships in October, 2015.

Tseng practiced with the association all summer long and in a preliminary meet in August, she placed second on the one-meter springboard event, which qualified her for the Asian Age Group Championships. 

With her ticket to the Asian Age Group Championships earned, she was paired with Bam Yanmongkon, who had placed first in the August meet.

During September and early October, the duo practiced separately—Tseng at Exeter and Yanmongkon in Thailand—thousands of miles apart from each other.

“While I was back at Exeter, I ‘trained’ by going to open swims at 6 a.m. and on Sundays for synchronized diving while my partner was training halfway around the world. We would send videos of our dives to each other and to our coaches and that was essentially how we practiced,” Tseng said.

Two days before the competition in October, Tseng flew back to Thailand and the duo drilled its dives “like crazy.” And together, the two athletes won a bronze medal.

“It was such an amazing feeling to have won bronze with her,” Tseng said. “It is a very surreal feeling to represent and win a medal for your country.”

Tseng’s success, according to Big Red divers, is due to her diligence.

Senior Michaela Kivett said that Tseng “puts 100 percent into practice, even if she is not feeling 100 percent that day. She never lets the fear of diving get to her, and she is always willing to try new more challenging dives.”

“She has put an incredible amount of time into diving, specifically this summer when she was on Thailand’s junior national team. You can also find her at the pool most Sunday's during open swim working on perfecting her dives,” Kivett added.

Senior Luz Lim echoed Kivett’s sentiments.

“She puts in the practice and energy that prove that her skills come from devotion in addition to her talent. She is always one of the first people on deck, ready for practice, and, even when everyone else is complaining about getting into the water or is goofing off, Joyce sets an example by warming up immediately,” Lim said. “Though she only began diving last year, Joyce’s work ethic and ability have led her to incredible things.”

While Tseng is proud of her accomplishments, she emphasized that she appreciates the sport because it allows her to feel independent and free.

“My favorite thing about diving is the fact that I am in control. Diving is my form of escapism and expression; in the sweet moments—when everything from the press on the board to the crisp, clean entry into the water feels so right—I find passion,” Tseng said. “That’s why I love diving.”

Currently, Tseng is training for the New England Championships at the end of this season. She is also invited to compete in the Thailand Championships in April.

“I will also be back in training with the Thai team this summer,” Tseng said. “Who knows what will happen from there!”