Well that was the tag line on Riley's Facebook account after a week of turmoil in Montreal. I'll cut to the chase - he came 14th! He was beat out by three other Canadians which meant he did not get a spot on the World Cup team and I'm not really sure what his choices are for Grand Prix.
After a few days to put it all in perspective, this is what I think happened. First the injury. Leading up to the event he could not train on 10 metre. He was only able to get one full practise in during the week in Montreal leading up to the event. That impacts consistency and confidence. The results showed that for sure. Some dives he did really really well for scores of 8.5. Others he missed completely, scoring 3.5 to 4. The field was incredibly strong and a lot of amazing divers dove really well. The Canadians not so much, the top Canadian came 10th and if Riley was in form, he likely would have been around 6th.
Next is the change in coaching. He and Tommy are doing well together and are making a lot of necessary changes to move Riley up in the World rankings. Unfortunately, they are in the middle of changes and as a result, putting the dives in cleanly is challenging. Tommy reported that all coaches, divers and judges really like the changes he is making and they are on the right track - its just a matter of time ... not so sure how much of that we have this year though.
Finally, I'm not sure Riley really understands the changes he personally needs to make in this very important year. He's still trying to fit in all his activities and sometimes that means late nights, not great nutrition and distractions. That has had an impact too.
Reality is, this was a disappointment and a wake up call but not that big a deal. I'm reminded of many top athletes who have set backs and come back with a vengeance. It's Riley's choice on how he deals with this experience - it will be interesting to watch. I'm still his biggest fan and will support him all the way.
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