Thrilling moments. A 'jump into the void' from 27 metres to reach 85 km/h before impacting with the water. Possibility of error: zero. The Cliff Diving is one of the most exciting, spectacular and dangerous sporting activities. Only a few can choose this discipline that every year sees the protagonists of the diving from great heights perform breathtaking, breathtaking evolutions. A few seconds, then the entry into the sea, and the screams of the spectators: a mixture of happiness and relief to see that the athlete is OK. Everything is OK. He has one thing in common with the athletes: fear. The same fear he admits to feeling Alessandro De Rose26-year-old from Cosenza, Italy, winner of the Apulian stage of the Red Bull Cliff Diving of 2017.
Alessandro, aren't you afraid of diving from 27 metres? And is there anything you are afraid of?
"Even though I practise all the time for the dives I have to perform, every time I find myself on the platform, at such a height, fear somehow accompanies me. It is certainly a healthy fear, because it makes me aware of what I am about to do, but it is still fear. Besides that I think I have many other more 'common' fears, such as driving at night, when there is little visibility. Another thing that terrifies me is jellyfish".
What drives a man to dive from great heights?
"Mine actually came about by chance, because initially I did not know the sport of cliff diving. When I moved to Rome when I was 17 to work in a water park, I became aware of this world and finally discovered great heights. As soon as I started diving from a little higher (initially from 20 metres) I immediately felt an incredible sensation. It is what you feel in the air, in the few seconds of free fall, that drives me on: an indescribable emotion that I cannot find in any other sport or life experience. It is like flying, for me".
What was in that scream after the victory in Polignano a Mare two years ago? How did that first place change his life?
"It was just one big 'Yessss!' Inside those screams, however, was practically my whole life, because at that moment I thought of all the sacrifices I had made to keep diving, to try to do what I love. Above all it was a liberating scream, because in order to make it to Polignano that year I trained a lot and at the same time I continued to work, taking advantage of even the smallest breaks from work to practice. Moreover, the swimming pool in Trieste was closed at that time, so to train I had to travel by train, making an hour's journey there and an hour's journey back. So the scream in Polignano was a real liberation, and it also helped me to get out all the hard work I had done up to that point and the years of sacrifice that had been needed to reach the goal. Obviously for those who do sport the sacrifices never end, they are a constant for an athlete, but in that moment I felt rewarded for all that I had done".
He has never hidden his difficult childhood. Where does the strength, the determination to excel in this sport come from?
"Strength and determination are part of my character, which also stems a bit from my origins: like all good Calabrians, I am a very stubborn and proud person. In addition to this, the values I grew up with, passed on by my father and mother, were fundamental. They taught me not to leave the things I had started halfway, and to work hard to complete my goals and achieve the desired results. I have always pursued my dreams and my parents have always encouraged me to do so. So I think the education I received from my mum and dad was really fundamental".
That old tattoo, 'revenge', imprinted on his skin, what did it mean?
"A youthful mistake due to the loss of my father and consequently a difficult time in my life. But I erased it. It was not 'revenge' that I wanted to imprint on my skin, because what I really sought was redemption. A revenge against a life that until then had been a little cruel to me. Against a nature that had enjoyed taking away a security, a cornerstone of my life. "Revenge' was the wrong word to tattoo, because what I wanted most of all was revenge: to prove to the people who did not believe in me at that time that Alessandro De Rose was not just a lost boy, but had a value to be made known to the world.".
How does Alessandro the athlete's day unfold?
"It is really intense. I wake up every morning at 8 a.m., have breakfast and by 8.30 a.m. I am already in the pool gym, where I do my weight training programme until 10.30-11.00 a.m. After that I train in the water until 12.30, go home for a short lunch break and from 14.30 to 16.30 I am back in the pool. If I have any physical problems around 5 p.m. I go to the physiotherapist and end the day by also doing some trampoline lessons, a discipline very similar to mine, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. When I get home I am really exhausted and I throw myself into bed trying to get as much rest as possible".
On 2 June, it's back to Polignano. What is he thinking, exactly, when he is on the diving board and the dive is moments away?
"It's always a good time of the year for me, because I have so many good memories in Polignano, also linked to the victory in 2017. When I go back there I feel at home: I know that the public is there with me and is cheering for me, and this charges me so much. Before the dive I feel a real whirlwind of emotions made up of a lot of concentration and also a bit of fear. In reality, however, when I am on the platform I completely annihilate myself and everything around me disappears: only I and my body exist. Then I try to listen to the rhythm of my body to try to execute the dive in the best possible way.".
What are your plans for the future? What would you like to do 'when you grow up'?
"Definitely my first step is marriage, and in fact in September I will marry my fiancée Nicole, and that is the biggest project we have in mind for this year. For the rest, I'd like to do many things, perhaps remaining in the sporting sphere. Among these I would certainly like to try to give some younger guys the desire to start this wonderful discipline. The idea of also helping fragile or disadvantaged kids through diving and sport would certainly be a great achievement for me.
However, I do not hide the fact that one of my biggest dreams would be to work for the fire brigade. In general, in my future I would like to try to help people who have had a similar past to mine, or a difficult past, to make them understand that they are not alone and that there are many people who can understand them".
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