Carlson dives head first into new sport

Molly Carlson might just be the next Canadian in a growing list of successful Olympic divers trained in this country.
The nine-year-old picked up diving last September and already has a national bronze medal to show for her efforts after representing the Thunder Bay Diving Club at the Speedo Junior National Diving Championships held in her home city last month.
Talk about handling the pressure.
Not only did she have the pressure of it being a big national meet, but she also had a hometown crowd and four of Canada’s finest, Alexander Despatie, Jennifer Abel, Arturo Miranda and Blythe Hartley, in the stands watching her every move.
Despite that, Carlson put up a combined score of 239.85 from the seven-metre board, good for third behind Savannah Neddo of Calgary and Victoria’s May Wang.
“It’s been a great experience to be in this competition in my first year of diving,” Carlson said. “I would like to thank all family and friends for their support from Fort Frances and Devlin.”
Carlson’s mom, Kathleen Cuthbertson, grew up in Fort Frances and was originally married to Jason Carlson. She has another daughter, Megan Carlson, who swims competitively with the Thunderbolts.
Cuthbertson and her daughters moved to Thunder Bay in 1999, and she has since married Jon Cuthbertson. Her parents, Dick and Jane Trivers, still reside in Fort Frances.
“There was quite a media blitz about the whole thing here in Thunder Bay,” Cuthbertson recalled of the meet.
“To watch her do so well and be surrounded by such excellence in her sport was so awesome, but to do it in our hometown, surrounded by so many family and friends, was the highlight,” she added.
Carlson had a strong background in gymnastics prior to diving, but making such a smooth transition within a year can be considered quite the feat. She and teammate Rylee Mose were the only Thunder Bay girls to represent at the event, and that bodes well for the two as they look to push each other to new heights along the way. Mose also has a large contingent of relatives in Devlin.
According to her mother, Carlson’s gravitation to diving was a bit of a surprise—but she’s been a natural ever since stepping up on the diving board.
“It was a shock because her personality gives the impression that she doesn’t like to take many risks, everything she does is calculated,” Cuthbertson noted. “So for her to be attracted to diving surprised us a bit.”
But Cuthbertson was quick to note that Carlson is the polar opposite up on the diving board, calling her a “daredevil” who is willing to try anything to put up good scores.
Cuthbertson’s other daughter, Megan, has had her own successes in the pool but became Molly’s biggest cheerleader at the meet.
“She had me make matching t-shirts for everyone and big signs… it was so much fun,” Cuthbertson enthused.
The mother of two let her daughters try a variety of sports until they found the ones they flourished at—and narrowing the focus has paid dividends now.
“Once they found the sport that they really clicked with we had them focus on just that, for time and financial reasons,” Cuthbertson noted. “I am so happy that they both have found a unique sport they both individually love and both do so well at.”