Name: Wendy Espina Esquivel
School: Gabelli School of Business
Major and Minor: Finance with a concentration in International Business
Campus Involvement: member of Smart Woman Securities and the Research Team
Favorite Hobby: dancing, traveling, eating out
What are you most thankful for this Thanksgiving?: Having the opportunity to be part of the Fordham community, especially the Swim & Dive Team.
Favorite part of Fordham Diving: My coach, Zhihua, and my teammates Molly, Steph, and Chris
What ice cream flavor would you be and why?: Hmm, this is a tough one; I think I would be mocha because it’s unique and has two things everyone loves – coffee and chocolate
How did you get into diving?: It was a stroke of luck. My mom put me in swimming lessons because every time we went the beach, I used to go too far into the ocean; and she had to ask the lifeguard to keep an eye on me pretty much every day (I was a little bit disobedient). Then, once I started swimming, my mom realized that there were also diving lessons, so she signed me up because she just loved the sport. At the beginning, I didn’t like it because I was afraid of heights. But after my first year, I learned to deal with my fear of heights and now here I am.
Tell us about your most memorable meet/dive: I think the Pan American Games Toronto 2015. It was my second Pan American Games and I’ll never forget the opening ceremony. The entire show was magical and having the opportunity to be there was just priceless. I also made it to finals in the 3m springboard event, which I consider my greatest accomplishment because I was just 19, and the first Chilean diver to make it to finals in Pan American Games.
How do you stay in diving shape and mindset with an injury?: Mentally it is difficult because after you stop diving for a week, you feel like you’ve forgotten how to do your dives. The way I deal with it is visualizing my dives before going to sleep. I also do that prior to a big meet to remember the little details my coach tells me to focus on. In order to stay in shape, I go to the gym to do some cardio and leg workouts. In general, divers don’t burn too many calories at practice since it is a more technical sport so we don’t eat as much as swimmers do. Also, the group of muscles we use the most are legs, abs, and back so I try to focus on those areas when I workout.
How do you balance the stress of being a college athlete with maintaining a social life & extracurriculars?: I like to meditate once in awhile when I feel too stressed because I think it helps clear your mind. I think academic work is not too much if you balance the work and read or complete assignments on a daily basis.
In a perfect world, what would you be doing after college?: I would LOVE to be a cliff diver, even though I’ve never tried it. I’ve always wanted to, but I just haven’t found the right place or know the right people to get into it. If I had the chance, I would like to keep diving to see if I can make it to the Olympics. I can’t imagine my life without diving after college, I’ve been doing it for too long.