Milford High gymnast, diver has pooled her talents
Junior brings home South championship
The pressure on the 4-foot-9-inch Milford High junior was immense. With two dives left, Parretti was clinging to a small lead in last weekend's MIAA South sectional championships. That was the good news -- the only good news. Because, earlier in warm-ups, Parretti had flubbed this critical dive, a difficult inward one-and-a-half, leaving her confidence shaken as she strode onto the board.
But as she slowly turned her back to the water and gripped her toes on the rough plastic springboard, Parretti did what she's done all season: She took a deep breath, focused, and then produced a spectacular high-flying, tight-spinning piece of athletic art.
When she popped her head out of the water, there were 7s and 8s on the Blodgett Pool scoreboard, her highest marks of the day. The South sectional championship was hers. A revived Parretti went on to stick her last dive as well, posting a whopping 11-dive total of 456.10. The result shattered the former Milford High record of 343 and was close to the South sectional record of 478.10.
''I don't know what happened," Parretti said. ''I had been having trouble with that dive all day. I was actually scared of it. But everything went right. It all just kind of clicked."
It's been that kind of season for Parretti, who went into yesterday's MIAA Division 2 meet as the favorite to win her first state championship. When the pressure was on, she was at her best.
''Whether she's doing a dive right in practice or not, she always finds a way to get it done in the meet," said Milford sophomore Connie Farrell. ''She's really amazing. It's inspiring."
Parretti's poise is extraordinary, considering that she started diving just three years ago. A top gymnast who finished fifth in the state for her club team last spring, she joined the Milford swim program only because the school does not offer gymnastics as an interscholastic sport.
''We went through the listings, saw diving, and figured, 'Hey, this might go along with gymnastics,' " explained Holly Parretti, Danielle's mother. ''It's turned out to be a great experience for her."
Parretti enjoyed immediate success on the springboard. As a freshman, she set a new school record, qualified for both the South sectional and state meets, and was voted to the Southern Conference All-Star team. Last year, she continued to progress. She placed third at the Southern Conference meet, fifth at the South sectionals, and 10th at the state meet.
This year, Parretti was nothing short of dominant. She set school records, won both the Southern Conference and South sectional meets, and emerged as one of the state's most consistent performers.
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''I could tell right away that she was different," Milford coach David Chaplin said. ''She certainly had a lot of natural ability, but it's also that she wanted to be good. She's a perfectionist. She doesn't do anything unless she does it well."
Parretti's tireless practice habits have become the stuff of legend around the Milford High pool deck. ''If she's having trouble with a dive, she will work at it until she gets it," Farrell said. ''In practice, she's constantly on the board. She wants to be the best she can." That dogged work ethic extends outside the pool as well. A high-honors student, Parretti practices daily with her club gymnastics team during the swim season and spends her weekends taking diving lessons at Brandeis University. It's a demanding schedule. She often travels straight from Milford swim practice to gymnastics. She rarely gets home before 9 p.m. ''She goes right from a bathing suit to a leotard," Holly Parretti said. ''Her hair's still wet when she shows up for gymnastics. I don't know how she does it, but she always gets everything done." Parretti said it can be a grind. But she also admits that she wouldn't want it any other way. ''When I'm doing diving and gymnastics, I'm having fun," she said. ''It's a lot of work and it can be stressful, but it's what I like to do." Parretti, who is already gearing up for the start of the competitive club gymnastics season, isn't sure which sport she'll pursue in college. While gymnastics is her first love, she's developed an equal passion for diving. It won't be an easy decision. ''They're similar sports," she said. ''Both have a lot of flipping and twisting, and the pressure on you when you're competing is very similar. I'm not sure what's going to happen next year. I'm just going to take it as it comes and keep trying to improve." Chaplin, the longtime Milford swimming coach, no longer worries about his star diver's future. After watching Parretti compose herself and then ace the biggest dive of her life, he knows she has what it takes to succeed. ''When the pressure turned on, she clicked in," he said. ''It was like two different people. The one before the meet wasn't living up to her capabilities. The one in competition was really on. It's amazing to see how Danielle reacts. The pressure doesn't get to her." James Whitters can be reached at whitters@globe.com.
© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.
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