Essayons in Action

You have to wonder if Norwich was made for students like Ava LePage ‘27 or if she is a student made for Norwich. As a nursing major, staff sergeant of Hotel Company, student-athlete on the diving team, and member of the regimental band, LePage has taken Norwich’s motto, “I Will Try,” to her own unique level. 

“I was not going to attend Norwich,” she says. “I saw my brother go through it and every time I visited him when he was a Rook, he looked miserable.” 

However, LePage comes from a family of nurses and was interested in pursuing that at Norwich. When she joined ROTC, it set her on a path. “At first, I didn’t know I wanted to join the military. I knew I needed it for the ring, and then I enlisted. It means something to me because both my dad and my brother are alumni.” 

Clearly, “essayons,” the French term for “let us try,” resonates with LePage. “That’s my mentality with things — try it and see how it goes,” she says. Case in point: LePage joined Norwich’s diving team before learning how to swim.

Head Coach Jennifer Cournoyer of Norwich’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving team confirms her mettle. “Ava is a true embodiment of perseverance. Her journey in diving is a remarkable testament to her hard work and tenacity, especially considering that she started without any prior experience in the water.” 

“I used to be a gymnast, so it was my experience doing twists and turns that made me interested in the dive program,” says LePage. “One of my best friends kept nagging me, ‘Please, please, join the dive team,’ and I told her the most swimming I could do was to doggie paddle. I couldn’t go under water without inhaling half the pool!’” 

Her friend, classmate Megan Sweeney ’27, is also a former gymnast and did not give up on persuading LePage. They exchanged letters while LePage was at basic training last summer and Sweeney would close every one with “P.S. You’re joining the dive team.”

Having Sweeney for a friend and her experience as a gymnast gave LePage the courage to jump into the deep end. It helps that the program welcomes athletes from diverse backgrounds including those who may not have diving experience but possess skills in gymnastics or competitive trampoline.

LePage started with the basics. “When I first met the coach, she let me try it,” she says. “I started by jumping in on the side and that was very scary at first.” 

“We began by trying to get her comfortable having her head underwater,” says Coach Cournoyer. “Ava's teammates have played a crucial role in her development, generously sharing their knowledge and skills to help her improve as both a diver and to resurface to swim to the edge of the pool.”

“I really love the team,” says LePage. “They are so supportive of me. They were like, ‘You can do this! You’ve got this!’”
It took LePage just one season to begin to dive competitively, but not without challenges. “A lot of the dives are scary,” she explains. “You have to enter them at different heights or momentum. With some you have to flip and dive the opposite way. My team captain helped me figure out the diving entries and how to get into that side of it. She was integral in my learning how to do literally anything off the board.”

“One of the dives we struggle with is called the reverse dive. You take off and flip the opposite way and open backwards. I had some pretty bad smacks and bruises all over from how I hit the water. But my team picked me back up and encouraged me every step of the way.”

LePage and three other teammates competed at the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championships last year, a NCAA Division III event, against other schools like Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Regis, and Albertus Magnus.
“Diving at the championship level is intense,” says Coach Cournoyer. “Our divers have consistently performed outstandingly at these championships, showcasing not only their talent but also the dedication that has been cultivated within the program. It's clear that the secret to their success lies in their shared culture of trying hard and supporting one another, and Ava has been a shining star within this dynamic.”

At the GNAC Championships, divers compete with 12 unique dives. LePage remembers, “I had all my dives except one, the reverse one. But at the competition I said to myself that I’m just going to go for it because it was the only one I’ve never done before. I did it, and I actually got a good score.” 

Her risk paid off. She was part of creating a championship season. “Norwich has always possessed a strong swimming and diving team,” says Coach Cournoyer. “But over the past three seasons, our women's diving team has excelled, capturing the GNAC championship title each year.”

Diving was not the only thing LePage jumped into last year. “I joined Band Company though I didn’t know how to play an instrument,” she says. Characteristically, that didn’t slow her down. She now plays percussion including the cymbal in Norwich’s regimental band, and the timpani, bass drum, and snare drum in the concert auxiliary. “We put a lot of work in,” she says. “We’re the first ones on campus, and the last ones to leave.”

LePage has a full plate, but says she is not doing it alone. Along with her swim teammates and fellow band members, she leans on her cadre. “Last year, my nursing classes were very strenuous. My cadre were dedicated to teaching us time management.” With two to three exams a week, practice, and meets, this skill has proved invaluable.

Now as cadre, she is paying forward the opportunities that she received and being a good role model to Rooks. Looking ahead to her senior year, LePage plans to put in extra hours of community service and pass her certified nursing assistant exam before going into the Army, where she is pre-branched for nursing.

“I feel like the opportunities at Norwich are endless,” she says. “I couldn’t swim but I decided to just go and try it. I joined the band and learned how to play. The community builds you up and makes you believe you can do anything. I think that’s really important, especially as future leaders.”

So, did LePage ever learn how to swim? “Yes,” she says, “I ended up passing the Army Combat Water Survival Test.”