‘Throwing yourself off a board, hoping to get it right’

Warwick Valley High School senior Lucas Langone didn’t plan on becoming a diver. In fact, when he first joined the swim team in seventh grade, he wasn’t even all that interested in swimming.

Now, six years later, he has established a legacy as one of the top divers in the New York.

“I had been doing gymnastics since I was six years old, and I’ve always been a strong swimmer, but I didn’t enjoy swimming competitively,” Lucas said.

He explained that he just didn’t enjoy endurance sports, so the coaches suggested he might like diving.

“I figured,” he laughed, “anything would be better than another swim practice.”

Lucas discovered he had a natural talent for diving and developed a deep appreciation for the challenges that come with it. Since then, he has thrived as a key member of Warwick Valley’s swim and dive team.

“What I love most is how it challenges me, especially mentally,” he said. “Every time I land a new dive, particularly difficult ones like twisters, it’s such a rewarding feeling.”

As a high-risk sport, diving requires thorough training both in the water and on land. Lucas dedicates half the year to daily, two-hour diving practices and maintains a disciplined exercise routine at home to prevent injuries and improve his core stability.

One of his proudest moments occurred this season at an invitational meet in Shenendehowa, where he scored a 484 in his 11-dive performance, far surpassing the 450 needed to qualify for states – a goal he had missed by just 10 points last year.

“That final dive was an inward double, one of the hardest and scariest dives I do,” Lucas recalled. “I hadn’t practiced it much, so I was just trying to calculate the lowest score I could get and still qualify for states, but I nailed it. It was the best I’d ever done.”

Lucas vividly remembers surfacing from the water to see the excitement and shock on his coach’s face. This achievement earned him a spot at the state championships at Ithaca College, where he finished 17th among New York’s top divers.

The support of former teammates

These achievements didn’t come without challenges. He spoke candidly about the physical and mental toll diving can take, especially during times when he struggled with fear or repeatedly missed a dive.

“You’re literally throwing yourself off a board hoping to get it right,” he said. “But diving has taught me perseverance. Even when you’re hitting your back or face and feel like giving up, you have to keep going.”

Lucas credits his former teammates Luke Albanese and Grant Moore for helping him overcome difficult times.

“There were many moments when I wanted to quit because of mental blocks and fear,” he said. “They gave me tips on how to improve and helped me work through my fear of certain dives. Plus, having them congratulate me felt amazing because they are so talented.”

Outside the pool, Lucas is equally ambitious. He’s a member of the National Honor Society is preparing to attend Binghamton University this fall. He plans to major in biology and pursue a career in medicine, possibly as a pediatrician or general practitioner, inspired by his mother, who is a biology teacher.

Although there were no openings on the Binghamton dive team next season, Lucas plans to walk on as a sophomore and is already in contact with the coach.

Advice from the future

When asked what advice he would give to his younger self, Lucas didn’t hesitate: “Don’t give up. Even when it feels impossible, things will get better. You’ll regret it if you quit.”