"I'm sure I could have gone faster," Henry says of past track meets. "But I have no regrets on how I balanced everything. I realized that there is no professional future for me in track."
A Little Luck
A little luck is what freshman Lara Jacobson is hoping for this summer in her own quest for the Olympic Games.
Jacobson, who has been diving only since her sophomore year of high school but had 12 years of prior gymnastics experience, needs just one more point (which she can accumulate by finishing in the top 12 in national tournaments) to qualify for Olympic trails.
The first-year from Austin, Texas also plans to take next year off to devote herself to her Olympic dream.
"I definitely feel a lot of pressure to get [a spot on the Olympic team], especially since I'm not going to school next year," Jacobson says.
Jacobson says that especially in national competitions, the mental aspect of the sport is crucial, allowing anyone on a given day to step up and win.
"The women's tower is usually pretty wide open," Jacobson says. "Basically, everybody has a shot at it."