Pine Crest’s Kevin Mendez — Florida’s most honored high school diver — makes college choice

Broken records.

Broken bones and tendons, too.

That quickly summarizes the career of Kevin Mendez Jr. of Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest, the most prolific high school diver in Florida history with a record five state titles.

On Sept. 27, Mendez, an 18-year-old senior, committed to dive for the University of North Carolina, starting in 2022.

But Mendez’s success has come at a price, and that price is … pain.

He has broken his foot and thumb multiple times, for example.

“When you hit the water, it’s like smashing into a concrete wall for a split second,” Mendez said. “It’s like getting hit over the head with a bat.”

As a sophomore, Mendez won his fourth consecutive state title despite having a slight tear in his biceps tendon.

“I was in excruciating pain,” Mendez said. “I didn’t know if I would be able to dive until the day before state. My doctor left it up to me and my pain tolerance.”

Part of what makes Mendez’s sport so tough on the body is the speed of divers as they enter the water.

Mendez said that once he starts his downward trajectory toward the water, he is traveling at 30 mph. For perspective, the fastest man on the planet — Usain Bolt in his prime — maxed out at 27 mph.

As for Mendez, who practices six days a week, he said his high-protein diet is just one of his keys for being able to withstand the punishment of diving.

“You get used to taking those beatings,” Mendez said. “But I also do all kind of stretching to be able to contort my body, and I take Ibuprofen for the pain.

“Before I dive, it’s heat pads. After I dive, it’s ice, ice, ice. That keeps the inflammation down.”

Mendez, who is 5-foot-9 and 150 pounds, said his compact size is an advantage.

“Imagine trying to get into super small and tight ball and then flipping fast,” Mendez said. “The smaller you are, the faster you spin.”

Pine Crest diving coach Janet Gabriel said Mendez’s No. 1 attribute is that he loves the sport, but he has other gifts, too.

“He has good spatial awareness, which is important when you are going upside down and spinning and facing different directions,” Gabriel said. “He has good body line, which makes the picture he is trying to paint with his dives look even better.

“And he’s the right size. Boys are doing 4½ somersaults, and that’s hard to do if you are over six feet tall.”

But as dives get tougher, though, injuries can also increase. In diving, shoulder, back and neck injuries are common. Concussions are common, too, Mendez said.

The general public, Mendez said, doesn’t understand the pain divers go through.

“But that’s the point of diving,” Mendez said. “The goal is to make it look effortless. That’s the beauty of the sport.”

A native of Hialeah, Mendez now lives in Lighthouse Point with his parents, Kevin Mendez and Kellie Mosley-Mendez, who are both physicians.

Mendez likely gets his athletic ability from his father, who played semi-pro soccer in his native Colombia.

At UNC, Mendez plans on majoring in psychology with a minor in business and in history. He then wants to go to law school and become an attorney.

Mendez has been diving since he was 3 years old. He saw some divers at a pool in Plantation and decided he wanted to try the sport.

“Winning helps,” Mendez said when asked why he has stuck with diving. “I found what I was good at, and I never let go. I found my calling.

“But I also love the feeling of flying. I love feeling free.”

The irony is that Mendez was once afraid of heights.

“When I was 12,” Mendez said, “I had to work with a sports psychologist to get over that fear.”

The only fear now is from his opponents.

“When I show up at the pool, I’m the big shark,” Mendez said. “It’s nice knowing I’m the one to beat. But I still have to do what is expected.

“There’s a lot of pressure because everyone is going after you. But the more I compete, the more I get used to it.”

Mendez, who turned down scholarship offers from Notre Dame, Florida, North Carolina State, Georgia and South Carolina, will try to conclude his prep career with his sixth straight championship at the Class 1A state meet, which is set for Nov. 6 at Stuart.

“I look at it like a job,” he said of his championship quest, “and getting paid is the gold medal.”