The Lancer Way: Kiree Lowe
Andrew Shortall, Director of Athletics Communications
1/12/2021
The Lancer Way is a platform provided by California Baptist University's Athletic Department that allows student-athletes to share their stories. All of the words are their own.
Written By: Kiree Lowe, Women's Diving, Sr., Clovis, Calif.
Diving for CBU has been one of the absolute biggest blessings in my life, and yet I would have never predicted that for myself.
When applying to colleges, I was convinced I wanted to go to a big state school, cheer at the football games, and compete at NCAA nationals. I cheered all throughout high school and loved the sport.
CBU isn’t as big as a state school and doesn’t have a football team, but after meeting the coaches and team, I knew they had the best cheer program in California. I tried out, made the team, and spent my freshman year of college on the beloved Golden Girls squad.
This made CBU Dive Coach Jeff Couto upset because he tried to recruit me for his own team. I turned down his offer, because I thought D1 diving would be too advanced and I knew I would be good enough and comfortable on the cheer team.
However, despite the amazing girls, coaches, and the fun times over the year, I had a feeling deep down that cheer wasn’t for me anymore. I struggled with quitting, because I’ve always played a sport since I was in kindergarten and didn’t want to give up athletics.
Fortunately, my roommate remembered my previous diving experience and suggested I tried talking to Couto to see if he would give me a second chance at joining the team. After meeting with Couto, he said he had one female spot left on the team and it was mine if I wanted it.
This was a huge decision to make considering how much I would have to learn and push myself to get to the collegian diving caliber. After days of continuous prayer, I felt God pushing me to accept the offer and give diving another shot.
I spent the whole summer before sophomore year training with Couto, trying to get my body back in shape and regain some of my diving abilities. Let me tell you… it was rough.
I was beyond sore and tired every day. I was physically drained from the training and mentally exhausted from constantly pushing through fear. You see, in high school I only dove 1 meter, so I had to learn a whole new set of dives on 3 meter and platform. That’s a total of 11 new dives which may not seem like a lot, but trust me, it is!
Everything about those events scared me; I had to overcome the fear of heights and making myself flip multiple times in the air. Having such little experience in these events and taking a year off added to the list of obstacles.
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— CBU Swimming & Diving (@CBUswim) October 20, 2019
Kiree Lowe had a big day at the Lancer Dive Invite, with a runner-up and third-place finish on the 1 and 3-meter boards.#LanceUp?? pic.twitter.com/FzBpvWh22R
A couple practices in I could tell I definitely I wasn’t as… graceful as I used to be. That summer I took smack after belly flop after back flop. Despite the pain, agony, and bruises, I dove with joy, because I was confident that was where God wanted me to be. I am extremely grateful I listened to His call because I grew in a variety of different ways my sophomore year of diving.
Because I was so fearful in the beginning, I was forced to rely on God to get me through most dives and practices. Almost every practice, I would have to take a minute to step aside and just pray for the Holy Spirit to calm my nerves and give me courage. My faith flourished and I developed a different type of relationship with the Lord I haven’t had before.
It was a long, tough year, but I prospered through and managed to place seventh on platform at the WAC Championships. This was ironic, because one, I never imagined placing top eight in the conference on any event, and two, platform was the event I was most afraid of!
That right there confirmed that dive was the right choice, all the struggles were worth it, and that God was working in me.
?? MOST IMPROVED (DIVE) ??
— CBU Swimming & Diving (@CBUswim) May 8, 2020
Kiree Lowe is the 2019-20 Most Improved Diver after she showed tremendous growth in all three events this season. It led to her securing three top-five finishes at the @WACsports Championships.#LanceUp?? pic.twitter.com/q2bgAIF4At
Junior year brought even more success. I learned more increasingly difficult dives, made top-10 scores on all three events in CBU history, and was able to compete with some of the best of the best.
After having a year under my belt, I was able to have more fun and relax at meets. This comfortability allowed me to perform optimally and really display all the progress I made in practice.
The year ended in me placing fourth on 1 meter and fifth on 3 meter and platform at the WAC Championship. I drastically improved in all three events, and if I’m being completely honest, I was shocked to have placed so high up.
Looking at the girls who have dove almost their whole lives, I thought there would be no way for me to compare to their skill level. But sure enough, through God’s grace and hard work, I was able to make top eight and compete in the finals.
The final round at the WAC Championship is a completely different type of pressure. The top-eight girls from semifinals compete again at night where the athletes from every team stops and watches you perform.
Having all eyes on you makes it extremely difficult to calm your nerves, and personally made me doubt my abilities. I kept telling myself I didn’t belong with these other immaculate divers and that I didn’t know what I was doing. As straining as this mental battle was, I remembered that God put me there for a reason and that he would carry me through. I prayed for him to take control of my body and to just let me enjoy both the joys and stresses of competition. I strongly believe my prayer, obedience, and confidence in God’s ability to work through me was what brought me those top-eight finishes despite all the challenges.
I am beyond thankful and so extremely blessed to have joined the CBU dive team. The ways in which I grew are immeasurable. Not only did I grow in my athletic ability, but I learned how to conquer fear and overcome obstacles I never thought I would be able to defeat. This has already translated to other areas of my life and created a cascade of new opportunities.
In addition, throughout my two years I gained a second family of my phenomenal teammates, who are genuinely some of the sincerest people I know. They inspire me and push me to be the best teammate, friend, and leader I can be. I know they will continue to be by my side outside of college and throughout life.
Most importantly, my faith blossomed into a beautiful, strong relationship with God. My fear and newness to the sport forced me to rely on God and trust in His plan for me. There were days I wanted to quit on the spot and revert back to a comfortable lifestyle. However, there were also days I soared like on the wings of an eagle and felt the joys of diving and living for Christ in my soul. All the challenges were worth it when feeling that pleasure.
I still have my senior year to go and am eager to see where God takes me. There’s beauty in living for a purpose and giving your all to a God who is so good. I plan on competing even better this year and hopefully be a light to not only my own team but to my competition as well.
Lance Up!
