The postponement of the NCAA Men's Division I Championships has affected thousands of spectators, dozens of coaches and support staff, and of course the 270 selected athletes. Aside from those suffering by the currently unknown virus, no athlete has been affected as much as diver Brandon Watson from Brigham Young.As a member of the Church of Later Day Saints (LDS), Watson adheres to Mormon principles of faith. Those include adherence to the Word of Wisdom, abstention from tobacco, alcohol, coffee and tea, a mission, and abstention from competition on Sundays.
That last one is now a problem for the Sophomore from Riverton, Utah. The postponement of the meet by a day has now placed Platform Diving on Sunday. Until 1999 the NCAA had adhered to the unofficial "BYU Rule" which banned Sunday competition in NCAA Championships.
"We're obviously disappointed," explained Cougar diving coach Keith Russell, "but the circumstances are what they are and they will obviously affect us.
The NCAA offered to move the platform event to Monday. Not wanting to affect the rest of the competitors, Russell and Day declined the offer. "We want to do something that is fair to all competitors."
Russell explained that Watson has also been given the opportunity to dive two full lists on Platform on Friday and Saturday and use those scores for Sunday's competition. Even that option was not ideal as it would not allow Watson to compete against his rival head-to-head. As of Thursday night, they had decided what to do.
Watson was the WAC diver of the year this year and won the 3-meter springboard at the Zone Diving Championships. While BYU does not offer a full compliment of platforms to train on, it is an event the Sophomore and his coach expect he can score in.
"We just want to take things in stride and try to make a good decision."
