Delano senior overcomes odds to continue sport she loves after losing vision in one eye
DELANO, Minn. -- Last season, Delano senior Avery Lommel finished eighth in the state diving meet. Then an off-season accident - Nerf Wars crossfire - robbed the diver and gymnast of sight in her right eye.
Her doctors were optimistic at first but they found that Avery's retina was severely damaged. The diver was likely never to get her vision back in her right eye.
"Kind of the first thing I thought of was, 'Am I going to be able to do sports,' and then, 'Am I going to be able to dive,'" Avery said. "I mean, it was really sad, and I've tried to be as positive as I can. I'm really happy about where I am right now."
Her presence elevates the Tigers even further now.
"She pushes through her struggles every day and she's just so positive, and a great leader. She pushes us to be the best athletes that we can be. I think that makes her an even stronger person," said Avery's teammate Jennifer Coons.
"To move forward with positive perspective is something everybody can learn from and always do better with, and I think she has exemplified that just on the highest levels," said Avery's diving coach Nathan Brisley.
Avery says she always tries her best to best positive, but, like everyone, she has her days. If anything, the experience has made her more appreciative of the little things.
"Being able to dive has been great. Honestly, it makes me appreciate things that I have been able to do that can be taken away from me so fast," Avery said. "I started diving in the summer when the doctors gave me the okay. In the summer was a little bit rough, and then the season started and it really took off from there. I don't know. Every meet I went to, I gained confidence. I can really do this."
The biggest challenge, Avery says, has been her depth perception.
"I did this new dive I was really struggling with. Huge mental block. My front two and a half. Just one day I was, like, really feeling it in warmups. My coach was encouraging me to do it, my swimming coaches were, and I did it one day and was like, 'Okay I'm going to compete in this,' and then I broke the school record. That was a really cool moment for me," Avery said.
It's been a long road for Avery getting back to the sport that she loves, but what's more impressive is what she's not saying.
"I was very negative at the beginning of my injury, but I'm like, 'Let's try to make light of this,' and make the best out of the situation. I mean, obviously, it's unfortunate, but it's taught me a lot of great lessons," Avery said. "I think everything happens for a reason."
Avery's serious about this not being the end of her diving career.
"I hope to dive in college so I'm looking at a few options right now, but I want to continue to dive throughout my college years," Avery said.
She offers this piece of advice: "If you have setbacks or, like, people tell you you might not be able to do something you love, I would say push through as best you can, even if you can't do it to the full extent. If you really love it, try your best and try to push through as hard as you can because it's so worth it."