LebCo Athlete of the Week: Elaina Potter (Week Ending February 9, 2025)

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Elaina Potter

Diving is a tough sport that requires many long practices at off-site locations, only to be limited to competitions at locations with diving wells. That has not stopped Palmyra’s Elaina Potter from excelling in the sport. The senior took 4th at the Mid Penn Swimming & Diving Championships with an impressive performance. Her score of 348.20, a career-best, was a twenty-point improvement from a year ago. The performance also included a personal best score of 37.40 for her front double somersault. Recognizing her achievement, our voters chose Potter as a LebCo Athlete of the Week.

Going into Mid Penns, Potter said that she was “relaxed,” allowing her to just go out and compete. She said, “I didn’t put any pressure on myself and knew I had prepared well. My dives were steady and consistent, which helped my scoring stay competitive with the other girls who had a higher degree of difficulty.”

During the competition, Potter’s mind was where it needed to be. Regarding the mental aspect of the sport, Potter said, “For me, diving is more tough mentally than physically.”

Potter was honest in her assessment of diving being a mental game. She said, “I experience a lot of mental blocks on harder dives that often prevent me from improving and performing to my full potential. I’ve worked through these by focusing on the fundamentals of my dives and regaining confidence in my abilities. I still struggle with this daily, but I’ve gotten a lot braver and more confident as the season has progressed.”

One thing that has helped Potter’s progression during her two-year diving career has been the help of her teammates. Coached by John Ricci, the Palmyra Diving Team has a tight-knit bond that has allowed them to support one another throughout the season. This is something that Potter has been thankful for during her time training and competing in the sport.

Potter with Ricci

Potter sees herself as being a supportive teammate, who “always try to use my experience to help them improve my teammates’ dives.” She went on to say, “I try to keep the environment positive and fun, which helps alleviate some of the pressure we feel during meets.”

Much of her understanding of the team aspect of an individual sport ties back to the fact that Potter is a veteran athlete who has been involved in athletics most of her life. In addition to diving, Potter was a member of Palmyra’s Tennis team, where she was the #1 singles player this past season. She is also a Pole Vaulter on the Track & Field team, qualifying for last year’s District 3 Championships after a top height of 10’10” against Hershey. Through her sophomore year, she was a member of the school’s basketball team before turning her attention to diving.

Palmyra Diving Team: L-R Helena Baker, Kristen Thai, Elaina Potter, & Emma Allen

How did Potter go from the hardwood to the pool? It’s the same reason why she is now eyeing Palmyra’s school record in the pole vault. Answer: Gymnastics. She didn’t just participate in gymnastics; Potter was a Level 6 gymnast at Paramount, claiming two State Championships. Her first State gold came in the floor exercise in 2015, followed by gold in the beam the next year.

As seriously as she takes athletics, Potter also takes school even more seriously. She is a member of the National Honor Society and plans to go to college to study to become a Physician’s Assistant. She is also a member of Palmyra High School’s orchestra, where she brings her talent on the cello.

A fun fact to know about Potter is that she spent this past Football season dressed up as the Cougar mascot, showing her school spirit while incognito mode.

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After her performance at the Mid Penn League Championship, Potter had her sights on qualifying for States after missing by one place last year. At Districts this past weekend, the mental aspect of diving created a case of the twisties that ended her competition after just one attempt.

While it was disappointing, there was a silver lining: Potter got to cheer on teammate Kristin Thai as she earned bronze and punched her ticket to her second straight PIAA Championships.

Potter will now turn her attention to getting ready for the Track & Field season. We congratulate Elaina on a wonderful high school career and wish her the best of luck pole vaulting this Spring.

Photo Credits: “Life to the Full Creative” & the Potter Family

Congrats to fellow LebCo Athlete of the Week Jomar Hidalgo. Stay tuned for the article.

For a full list of recent nominees, check out: Athlete of the Week Voting: February 3 – 9

This Season’s Previous Female Winners

Mya Doster (Week of December 2nd)

Olivia Shutter (Week of December 2nd)

Kaila Francis (Week of December 9th)

Liliana Harrison (Week of December 9th)

Lily Harchuska (Holidays)

Maddie Stout (Holidays)

Qynne Demler (Week of January 6th)

Hayley Sheroky (Week of January 6th)

Susie Hoffman (Week of January 13th)

Dakota Dengler (Week of January 20th)

Kenzie Eckhart (Week of January 20th)

Kailah Correa (Week of January 27th)

Riley Hatzfeld (Week of January 27th)