Kassidy Cook

15 / DIVER /The Woodlands, Texas

Achievements: A 5'4" sophomore at The Woodlands High, Kassidy is a three-time junior national and three-time junior Pan American individual champion on both the one- and three-meter boards. She also won the three-meter synchronized event at the 2009 AT&T Nationals, with Loren Figueroa.

First Steps: Kassidy grew up watching three older sisters dive. When she won her first individual title, a coach told her she was the best six-year-old diver in the country. "She asked, 'What about the world?'" says Kassidy's mother, Laura. "He told her that the Chinese had a really good diving program. That night I put her to bed and she asked, 'Do you think the Chinese are still training?'"

Evokes: Former Olympian and 28-time national champion Cynthia Potter. "Cynthia was the same package," says Kenny Armstrong, one of Kassidy's coaches. "Kassidy's got this little body, but she's unbelievably powerful."

Coach's Comment: "She does a lot of big dives for a young girl," says Bob Gunter, Kassidy's head coach. "She's doing the same list [of dives] as the last Olympic three-meter champion."

What's Next: Kassidy has already been named to the preliminary squad for the 2012 Olympics. Meanwhile she'll continue diving for The Woodlands, for which she won a state championship on the one-meter board in February.

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