On #internationalwomensday I want to give a big shout out to the woman who paved the way for me. patty_o_a is my longtime coach, Kenny’s wife, but she was also my teammate, synchro partner and dear friend. At my first Senior Nationals, I got to cheer Patty on as she won the title. It was eye opening to see my teammate, who did not have a perfect meet, but who had won the crowd over, never gave up and in turn, clinched this amazing feat. I started doing platform synchro with her right after that nationals, and right away she taught me that you can work hard and have fun at the same time. I know that sounds simple, but it laid the foundation for my work ethic, and it allowed me to fully love the sport and enjoy it while at the same time pursuing huge dreams. We won 4 National Titles together and a World Cup bronze medal. I watched her have a baby and come back to diving better than ever. Her son, Dylan, became our training partner heading into 2000, and he sat in my mom’s lap and c...