Glasgow 2014: Heatly and Reid carry diving hopes

TWO teenagers were named yesterday as Team Scotland’s diving representatives for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. One, James Heatly, is from diving stock. His grandfather, Sir Peter, is Scotland’s third most prolific Commonwealth athlete with his haul of five medals, three of them gold.

Grace Reid: Drawing on experience. Picture: Jeff Holmes

While it is obvious why Heatly, 16, took up the sport, Grace Reid, who made her own bit of history four years ago in Delhi, was asked what drew her to the idea of performing twisted double somersaults from the high board complete with flat-hand grab.

“I was swimming when I was really young and I was very active as a child and I did every sport under the sun. I did diving one day and I thought this is really good and I just stuck at it,” she explained. “My mum used to cover her eyes when she watched me in the gallery dive off 10m when I was just five years of age. It is so close to flying and it is relieving from schoolwork and it is a breath of fresh air for me.”

Reid, who will be 18 by the time the Games begin, is no longer the baby of the diving team, let alone the wider team. At 14 in 2010, she was the youngest Scot to compete at a Commonwealth Games, and she only has good things to say about her new seniority. Growing four inches during this four-year cycle has been a rather more challenging development.

“It’s a lot, I’m not going to lie. Everyone use to call me wee Gracie but they can’t do that any more. I’ve grown up a lot. It’s made my diving quite difficult because, if you’ve got longer limbs, you’re less aerodynamic and flexibility is obviously compromised. You’ve got new muscle and you need to train that, and figure out how tall you are to work out where you need to be in the water,” said Reid, who hopes to qualify for her specialist 3m springboard as well as the 1m event.

“I’m coming into these Games a lot more experienced, coming into them as an older athlete. I’m nearly 18 now, so I’ve got a lot of experience from the past four years to draw upon.”