There is something that Alex Dambly does better than anyone else on the diving team. In fact, the junior diver is the only one that is able to do it. And he can do it again and again and again.

He starts by planting his hands on the floor and slowly pushes the rest of his body upwards into a position perpendicular with the ground. Dambly then effortlessly comes back down — without touching the floor — and goes right back up again.

He can do this move — known as a press handstand — as many as 10 times in a row, according to diving coach Ted Hautau.

His unique ability to perform the move can be attributed to his upbringing.

Dambly, who attended Sherwood High School in Olney, Md., didn’t even pick diving until he was 15-years-old.

From an early age, Alex, along with his identical twin brother Parker, participated in competitive gymnastics.

Dennis Dambly admits there was a bit of sibling rivalry between his sons during those years, and, depending on the results of the meet, “somebody was unhappy,” he said.

Dennis’ favorite memory of his son came long before the brothers starting competing against each other.

“When they were little, there was a full-length mirror on the closet door in the bedroom,” he said. “Alex went crawling up to the mirror and looked at it and said ‘Parker.’ He saw his reflection in the mirror and thought it was his brother.”

As the years went on, the brothers started to develop separate identities.

Although Alex excelled at gymnastics, he became burnt out because of the time commitment.

“I’d come back from school in the afternoon and practice until 9 or 10 at night,” he said. “I just couldn’t do that anymore.”

So as Parker turned to fencing, Alex heeded the advice of his mother and started diving — although he was hesitant to put on the required attire.

“I was like, ‘I have to wear a Speedo,'” he said. “But eventually I got over it.”

Now, in his third year at State, Dambly is having one of his most successful seasons yet. Midway through the season, he has “hit his stride,” according to Hautau.

“When we were down at Georgia Tech he really stepped up big and competed well,” he said. “He went from ninth place in the preliminaries to fourth place against two of the top guys in the country and one who won the NCAA championships.”

Hautau said Dambly’s foundation in gymnastics has allowed for his easy transition into diving. He considers him “probably the most talented guy on the team” and attributes his acrobatic ability to his background.

Dennis Dambly is impressed with his son’s ability to dive head-first off a 10-meter platform, but said he never took up the sport because, he says, “I don’t like heights.”

Although Alex has more acrobatic talent than his father, the pair enjoys golfing in their spare time and Dennis said his skills on the green are far superior to his son’s.

“That’s not even close,” he said. “There’s no question about that.”

However, Dennis said Alex shows potential and “if he put his time into it he could be a very good golfer,” said Dennis.

But don’t expect Dennis to show up at the pool anytime soon. It’s not only his fear of heights that will keep him away.

“I wouldn’t look very good in a Speedo,” he said.