Only a scar running vertically on his left leg is what’s left of the car accident that nearly cost him a limb in 1999. Six years later, Wendell Perkins has left his mark in EC’s diving record books.

“I think competing for El Camino was one of the best things that could have happened to me,” Perkins said.

Perkins has been diving for seven years, but is a sophomore at EC, where he won the regional championship.

“He was doing well throughout all his dives and was getting really close to the record,” coach Corey Stanbury said. “But it was at his last dive that he just nailed it; he made such a clean dive that there were no splashes. The crowd just went wild.”

During the last two years, Perkins has made a clean sweep of all the EC diving records.

He has established his own mark in the 1- and 3-meter diving, for both the full and duel meet lists.

EC’s 3-meter diving record was set in 1994 at 456, but Perkins surpassed that mark with a 457.65.

Perkins’ accomplishment also happens to be the South Coast Conference record.

In the 1-meter dive, Perkins had a score of 428.65, demolishing the old campus record that was set in 1968 at 404.31.

“I’ve been trying since I saw that the record had existed to beat it and I think I worked harder for that than anything I can remember,” Perkins said.

“It’s all I wanted, and since I didn’t feel like I had the best performance of my life during that meet, I couldn’t believe I had broken the record. I had to look twice,” Perkins said.

Perkins began his diving career when he coached Utah but then he decided to move out to California to train.

“After the accident that left my leg and hip crushed, for physical therapy, I decided that I’d get back into diving,” Perkins said.

Perkins joined a team called Pacific Diving after leaving Utah.

From there his coaches eventually referred him to the EC diving team.

“I didn’t get to compete in college the first time around, so I’m really excited that I get a shot at doing it now,” Perkins said.

The more he learned to dive and do tricks in the air, the more he realized how much of a passion he has for the sport.

“I love the way it feels to be up in the air and be weightless,” Perkins said.

At 36 years of age, Perkins is older than the average swimmer on the team. However, there is no emphasis put on his age by any of his team members. Rather, there is a lot of support given to him by the team.

“Everyone is really nice and nobody treats me as if I’m older,” Perkins said. “I think having coached diving before really helps me get along with people who are younger than me.”

Perkins plans on pursuing a career in nursing, but insists that diving will always be something he will be involved with throughout his life.

“I think all the confidence you gain from being able to do things that you never thought even possible is what I like about diving; it’s what I like to teach,” Perkins said.

Aside from improving his athletic abilities, Perkins has gained a better understanding and appreciation of what he can do and what he wants in life.

“It really puts things in a new perspective and you begin to realize that you can really accomplish things that you never thought you actually could do,” Perkins said.