Sky Corbett-Methot was a high-performance gymnast with the Canadian national team heading for big things when injuries side-lined her goals and future. But the 17-year-old from Hammond said she was not discouraged for long.

Two years ago Corbett-Methot, now 17, had just recovered from surgery following a series of gymnastics-related injuries - including tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee and her medial collateral ligament in the same knee twice - and was preparing for nationals when she crushed the growth plate in her right knee during a bad landing on the vault.

The orthopedic surgeon told her that she had to stop using that knee for a few months or the plate would prematurely close and she would be stuck with one leg four inches shorter than the other.

He said her knees were so badly beat that her gymnastic days should be over.

Corbett-Methot spent the summer on crutches contemplating her future. She always imagined getting a scholarship to an American university and competing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in her future.

And then it came to her - diving! Starting over had its challenges, gymnastics has similarities to diving but many of her skills needed to be refined, said Corbett-Methot.

"The hardest transition has been perfecting the form. In gymnastics it is a different style of presentation and form," she explained.

"In diving it's all about keeping straight. The name of the game is no splash, which is not easy to do."

"Her progress over the past year and a half was phenomenal," said her mother Kimberley Corbett.

With the help of diving coaches Grant Brehaut and Beverly Boys at the White Rock Divers Club, Corbett-Methot quickly began winning tournaments and being noticed by the diving community, said her mother.

Schools in New York, Hawaii, and Texas expressed interest and she accepted a full-athletic scholarship with the Southern Methodist University in Dallas Fortworth, noted Corbett.

"It's a really good school. The highlight of the diving program is the coach Jim Stillson," said Corbett-Methot.

"He takes people to a high level he doesn't only deal with the collegiate level. He's coached six Olympians. He's one of the best NCAA diving coaches that I know of."

Corbett-Methot leaves in a few days for the five-day roadtrip to Texas.

Upon arriving she will fulfill her life-long dream. he dream may not include gymnastics anymore, but she gets to compete for the NCAA after all.

smclaren@mrtimes.com