Divers soar to get on Olympic team at Federal Way event

You might not be able to make it to London for the summer Olympics, but this week at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, you can watch some of the nation’s top athletes vie for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Diving team.

Around 120 divers will be competing for just 14 spots, says Jen Lowery with USA Diving, the sport’s national governing body. Three of the divers are from the Northwest:

• Carrie Dragland from Woodinville
• Katrina Young from Shoreline
• Cassie Weil from Hillsboro

All three local divers will compete in the women’s 10-meter platform on Wednesday, and Carrie Dragland will dive in the 3-meter synchro finals on Thursday. (A synchro is when two athletes of the same gender dive in  unison. Sometimes, divers perform the same maneuver but facing opposite directions, which is called a "pinwheel" dive.)

Synchronized diving has been around for decades, but it only debuted as an Olympic sport in 2000 at the Sydney summer games.

Here's an example of synchronized diving from China's Guangzhou Asian Para Games in 2010: 

This week's diving trials are open to the public, but you’ll need a ticket to get in. You can pay $5 to watch a single session or up to $135 for premium access. The trials will take place every day through Sunday. 

Click here for more event information and ticket prices.