Reimagining "Vaulting the Sea"
Cont. pg 129; 278 It had taken him months to make sense of all that had happened to him, but it was while facing all those cameras that Taoyu saw a road out. He didn’t know it until he stood up there at the edge of the board, when he realized he finally had a choice. Right then, on the world’s biggest stage, he could finally choose. He could become a completely new person. But something was still holding Taoyu back. Despite all the signs telling him to quit diving, he felt the obligation to continue. It was who he was. He had a responsibility to himself, to Hai, and to represent his nation. It was a choice, but there seemed to be only one option, and it had already been decided for him years ago when his parents chose to send him to diving school. His path had been set years ago. Together, Taoyu and Hai stepped onto the board, ready to take a leap of faith at the Olympic qualifies. “Three, two, one,” and together they wer...