For the second consecutive year, Parker Hardigree, a sophomore at Colquitt County High School, won a state diving championship. Kelliann Howell, also a sophomore, won a state title, too. Last year, Howell finished third at the state diving meet.
Winning state titles in diving is nothing new for Colquitt County. Home to the fabled Moss Farms Diving Club, Colquitt County divers have brought home championships in droves since Moss Farms began. Many of the divers with the Moss Farms program also dive for Colquitt County High, and they bring with them the training and experience needed to not only compete with but defeat divers from the metro area.
Despite Hardigree’s championship run last year, he wasn’t expected to do much this season. He had surgery to shorten his left arm in October, which kept him out of the pool from August until December. “When other kids were doing their fundamental work in the preseason, he was recovering,” Chris Heaton, Moss Farms head coach, said. “So he wasn’t a part of all that. Parker was pretty far behind when the season started, and he didn’t have long to train when he was released.” Hardigree didn’t compete in his first meet until January. At that first meet, he qualified for state, then spent the rest of the season trying to catch up on the time he lost.
Howell qualified for state at her first meet, which was in December. A former gymnast, many of those skills carry over into diving. She’s only been diving for four years; her determination and work ethic won her a state title this year. “She does whatever needs to be done,” Heaton said. “She never complains and always does everything you ask. She’s a joy to have on the pool deck.”
“Both of these kids are so dedicated to the sport,” said Amy Hardigree, Parker’s mother and the Colquitt County High diving coach. “They practice two-and-a-half hours per day during the school year and five hours per day during the summer. They don’t stop in the winter. If it’s 50 degrees or warmer, they’re diving. They’re just two great kids.”
At just 16 years of age, Parker Hardigree has two state titles under his belt, and Kelliann Howell has one. They still have two years left in high school, followed by college careers if they so choose. Heaton, who coached diving at Indiana University and Ohio State University, believes both can be Division I divers if that’s what they want to do. “Parker has been diving a long time,” Heaton said. “He’s very confident, and he can mentally conquer any dive. Kelliann started late, but her work ethic makes up for her lack of time in the sport. Both can be Division I divers if they want to. It’s a privilege to coach both of them. They’re strong in their faith, they’re leaders in the community, and they’re both great students. They’re in the right spot.”
Sidebar:
In club competition, Kelliann Howell dives from all three positions – one-meter, three-meter, and 10-meter platforms. Parker Hardigree is a one-meter and three-meter specialist. However, in high school competition, all diving takes place from one meter. The state meet utilizes an 11-dive format. While there are other formats for meets, Colquitt County only competes in 11-dive competitions during the season in order to get them ready for the state meet. The plan apparently works – both Howell and Hardigree qualified for state at the first meet they entered.
Special Feature/South Georgia/May 2016
Parker Hardigree and Kelliann Howell
Two Packers win state diving championships
Colquitt County High School
Moultrie, Georgia
Robert Preston Jr.
