FEATURED: From the Beam to the Board, Freeman Excelling for Mavericks – Minnesota State College

In sports activities, the trail to success is commonly paved with sudden twists and turns. For junior Natalie Freeman, a diving standout at Minnesota State, her journey is a testomony to resilience, adaptability, and the ability of rediscovering ardour.
 
Before diving into the world of aggressive diving, Freeman was a devoted gymnast from the age of two. However, her gymnastics profession got here to an abrupt halt at 13 attributable to accidents.
 
It was a turning level that led her to discover a brand new sport.
 
“I had to end my career when I discovered injuries that wouldn’t allow me to continue doing gymnastics,” Freeman mentioned. “Many people told me that I should get into diving because many gymnasts choose to because the transition is easier since you already have a lot of the same skills and the mindset.”
 
“I totally didn’t want to at first, but the summer before my freshman year, I decided to try out a few private lessons with the high school coach,” she continued. “Ever since then, I have fallen in love with the sport and competition it brings into my life again.”
 
A New Passion
 
As Freeman embarks on her third season with the Mavericks, she displays on the psychological and bodily challenges she’s confronted and the teachings she’s discovered alongside the way in which.
 
“Honestly, this summer, I felt a little bit drained from my first two seasons in college,” Freeman defined. “It’s such a long competition season, and after nationals last year, till about a quarter of the way through the summer, I gave myself a break. I think this really helped me because when I started up again practicing with my old coach from home, I felt the way I used to feel about diving. This year, I have fallen back in love with the sport.”
 
Freeman’s renewed ardour for diving is obvious in her efficiency this season, successful 4 consecutive Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Diver of the Week awards.
 
“I started thinking of goals I wanted to achieve this season and told myself that I can do these things and am capable of it,” she mentioned. “I think what helped me the most was getting back into mindset that, first, I love this sport, and second, I can do these hard things I set my mind to. I have also upgraded a few of my dives that have helped me achieve these goals so far this season.”
 
The Power of Mindset
 
Diving, as Freeman emphasizes, isn’t just a bodily endeavor however a psychological one as effectively.
 
Creating excessive objectives and sustaining a constructive mindset have been key elements in her success.
 
“This sport is definitely a mindset sport, and I learned last year really how to change mine,” Freeman shared. “Creating these high goals and telling myself I am a good diver has definitely helped me with success.”
 
“I also learned that it is okay to set higher goals that in the moment I might not think I’ll be able to achieve, but it makes me work harder. If and when I do achieve these goals, it makes me feel so amazing and proud of myself,” she continued.
 
“Nat is a true competitor,” mentioned head coach Nate Owens. “Once a competition starts, she’s 100% focused and dialed in. In a sport like diving where it is so technical and requires the right focus, she excels in having the right approach and mindset. This year, she’s off to an amazing start.”
 
Team Culture
 
Freeman’s journey isn’t just about private achievements; it is also concerning the workforce tradition at Minnesota State.
 
Under the steerage of her coaches, she’s discovered a supportive and structured surroundings that has performed a pivotal function in her progress.
 
“The structure they have created for our team has helped us so much,” Freeman mentioned. “They work us hard but still care for us all individually. I think this is such an important trait to have as a coach, and this is one of the main reasons I wanted to come to Minnesota State.”
 
Freeman’s private objectives for the season embody ending within the prime three within the one-meter and prime 5 within the three-meter dive on the NSIC championships, qualifying for nationals, and in the end turning into an All-American earlier than she graduates.
 
“Nat qualified for the National meet as a freshman,” mentioned Owens. “Sophomore year, she had a real bad neck injury one week before the pre-qualifying meet. It was so rough that I didn’t think that she’d be able to travel much less compete. Regardless, she just missed qualifying again. This year, back fully healthy, we can make the argument that she’s having her best season ever and already fully eligible for the National pre-qualification rounds in March. We would love to see her in peak form at the end of the season. She’s a force to be reckoned with.”
 
However, her aspirations prolong past private accolades.
 
She goals to be a constructive affect and inspiration for her teammates, emphasizing the significance of help and motivation in a sport that may be bodily and mentally demanding.
 
“It’s so important within the sport of diving to support each other and have these role models to keep us motivated and not burnt out, and I would love to be this person for my teammates,” she shared. “I want to be able to finish my diving career strong and look back and be proud of all of my accomplishments.”
 
The Routines
 
Freeman’s dedication to her sport is mirrored in her meticulous routines. She watches movies of herself the evening earlier than a meet to visualise her dives, prays for power and steerage, and listens to music to take care of focus.
 
These routines, mixed together with her unwavering perception in herself, have propelled her to success.
 
“Knowing that God is there for me. I give all my glory to him, and I truly believe I couldn’t do any of this without him,” Freeman defined.
 
“I also listen to music throughout the meet. It puts me in a calmer and/or pumped-up mindset so I can really focus on myself instead of what’s going on around me. In between dives, I’ll go put my earbuds in to keep myself in the same mindset.”
 
Freeman attracts inspiration from fellow divers, notably those that have overcome their very own struggles within the sport.
 
She appears to be like as much as athletes like Makayla Hughbanks and Aspen Warnagora, who’ve achieved outstanding feats and served as function fashions for her.
 
“Watching her become an All-American on one meter inspired me and made me think it is possible,” Freeman mentioned about Warnagora.
 
“We both had our struggles with diving, and I think this made me become closer with her. I would watch her diving and the way she practiced and wanted to be like her. Again, diving is such a burnout sport, but it’s the accomplishments and feeling of achieving your goals that keep you loving it. And I think I really understood that with Aspen.”
 
Beyond the Pool
 
Outside of diving, Freeman stays energetic and engaged in numerous actions. She’s keen about lifting, which she considers a type of remedy, and takes nice care in sustaining her well being.
 
Hiking, strolling her canine, and even dabbling in golf are a few of the actions that convey her pleasure and stability exterior the pool.
 
As Freeman continues her diving profession at Minnesota State, she does so with a way of objective and willpower.
 
Her journey from gymnastics to diving, from burnout to rediscovered ardour, serves as an inspiration not solely to her teammates however to anybody going through challenges and looking for new horizons.
 
With her unwavering spirit and dedication, Freeman isn’t just diving for herself; she’s diving for the Mavericks, for her coaches, and for the love of the game that has develop into her second probability at greatness.
 
“Our biggest goal is to win conference,” Freeman concluded. “Throughout my college career, we haven’t won yet, and I truly believe we can do it this year.”